Divergence of Fate
by dhram30
Summary: Ash Ketchum was alone, even as a child. He only had his mother to keep him company, as everyone else seemed to dislike his aptitude for school, and his genuinely kind nature towards Pokemon. But now was his chance to prove them wrong. He and his starter would rise victorious, and become the masters they dreamed of. AU. Smarter!Ash, Powerful!Ash, Prof. Oak/Gary bashing, Pairing TBD.
1. Chapter 1: Dawning of a Legend

Morning had come. The day had begun, and the residents of Pallet Town were slowly getting accustomed to the daylight making its appearance over the sky of an azure hue. The pokemon around were as happy as usual, frolicking and playing in the streams and grass alike. Regardless of species, regardless of creed, Pallet Town was home to all that believed it to be so. The aura of peace and serenity that came from living in such an isolated location were tantamount to its ; Pallet would not be Pallet if it weren't for that distinct feeling of calm and pleasantness.

This was the place where the Chosen One was born. The place that marked the rise of a legend ; a force that would surpass the current kingpins in this world of possibilities. The world of Pokemon was one the Chosen would do well in, and the existence he would be bequeathed would be spent doing good for others. The Chosen One had a destiny. He was meant to change the world. His purpose was to save it from the brink of catastrophe. And Arceus willing, he would not fail.

Delia Ketchum watched as her son, little more than 4 years old, was laughing and trotting along with her on a walk they were going on together, enraptured at the the sound that the Pidgey made with their wings, and the small chirps that the little Flying types made with their beaks. Even at that tender age, the boy was in love with the beasts he regarded as his equals and his friends for life.

'Ash will eventually surpass his father. I'm sure he will make me proud,' thought a content Delia, on that day. Her expression was one of profound joy as she observed the little boy, petting the pokemon that were sidling up to the human, their curiosity piqued. The Pokemon also had never met a human who was so happy to be around them, a human who displayed the innocence of the mere babe that he was, and yet still showcase unending compassion and love. Even the Pokemon realised the divine presence that surrounded the boy, and they accepted him as a member in their pack hierarchy which was their way of life. Delia had long since realised this limitless potential that her son possessed. She had seen it firsthand, and was of the opinion that one day, her son would be surrounded by the glory and prestige of being a Pokemon Master.

But there was one flaw in the rules set forth by the Pokemon League. Trainers left at the age of ten. While some regarded this as an amazing experience for their child, Delia had always begged to differ. She had known for some time now, that Trainers simply did not possess the maturity required at such a young age, and starting their journey at that age would only lead to an increase in arrogance and bad morals and values showcased by a Trainer. And truth be told, it wasn't their fault. They simply were not ready to handle it.

Looking at Ash, Delia realised that if he was to leave, he needed to be instructed in the more subtle arts of going on a journey. 'I've got six years to work on this. When I'm done, Ash will be ready to leave at last,' she thought, with a smile beginning to form on her face. Ash needed training. His potential needed to be harnessed, starting now, if he was to become a true master. Little did Ash know that his life would be changed forever, thanks to the timely intervention of a caring mother.

Years went by. Ash had matured over the four years in which his mother had helped him prepare for his imminent journey in two years time. When his mother had discovered his passion to learn more about Pokemon, she encouraged it wholeheartedly. With his mother's full approval, Ash took to reading and devouring books as if he were a ravenous monster whose sole purpose was to soak in knowledge like a sponge. As a result of borrowing books and research papers from the expansive library in Pallet funded by the Oak family, Ash had a thorough knowledge of most Pokemon that existed on the planet he lived on. His grades were impeccable, and he excelled the most in Battle Strategy and practical classes which involved using the Pokemon of the teachers to battle with his classmates, who also did so, under the careful supervision of their teachers at the local school, so as to simulate a real Pokemon battle.

This proficiency led to a huge change in attitude. Ash had lost all his friends, who preferred to play and generally cause trouble rather than focus on preparing for their journey. More often than not, Ash would sit in a dark, deserted corner at breaktimes in school to immerse himself within another thesis written by Prof. Oak's Aides on the vast subject of pokemon. At the age of eight, his track record was perfect, academics wise, and Ash had already begun playing his favourite sport, volleyball, at a competitive level for his age group, against various other schools in Viridian and Pewter. He had gained the love of his teachers, but his focused mindset had led to his peers abandoning him, leaving the boy alone.

Ash, at that age, was already used to that kind of behaviour, and had resigned himself to the fact that he was nothing more than an introvert, and his social skills were completely gone, as his confidence in talking and associating with others had taken a nosedive due to him never being able to conform to the social norms that were made up by his chief tormentor, Gary Oak.

'But then again, who needs friends,' he thought bitterly, as the summer of his eighth year came.

Delia could see this. He had long since developed a facade that he displayed in front of her, not wishing for her to see how hurt he was at never being included by other children in Pallet. However, her mother's intuition had led her to the conclusion that was absolutely correct. She sought to remedy this by introducing him, the first week of his summer break, to her close friend from her days as a Trainer, as well as her daughter. After a slightly awkward first meeting, Ash and the bubbly, cheerful girl that was none other than Leaf Green, Pokemon Trainer extraordinaire, as she phrased it, got off to a great start. Their friendship had begun to blossom, and because the two rapidly became best friends, they made a pact to go travelling on their journey together in 2 years time, as both were still 8 years of age.

Ash had wondered where he could improve himself further, but then he realised that he was still ill equipped for his journey, as he had not factored in the other aspects or skills he would definitely need to know. He informed his mother, who simply smiled knowingly and proceeded to teach him culinary skills and basic survival and first aid he would need to employ as his journey progressed. She had ceased from encouraging him and making him improve himself, the pivotal role as a mother she had played in the early stages of her son's life were now over ; Delia believed her son to be at a stage where his proactivity would lead to his success. This new attitude from her led to Ash becoming more and more self reliant, as he would need to be, on a journey away from home. So with Ash seeking to push himself to the limit, alongside his equally eager companion Leaf, the two friends sought to make themselves the best they could ever be.

When Ash was nine, in the penultimate year before his journey, a rather serendipitous series of events occurred, in Ash's favour.

The day was not an ordinary one. The weather was overcast, and looked to be showing signs of a storm approaching. Ash felt a sense of foreboding, and he somehow knew that _something_ would happen that day. What exactly it was, he couldn't place, but something was… different than usual. The boy shrugged, dismissing the notion. His senses were finely attuned to nature, and he would know if something was amiss. Little did he know that today was the day that those senses would fail, but in the process, he would gain something that would finalise his future as a successful Pokemon Trainer. His starter Pokemon.

Ash went to school, like any other day, and used his teacher's Pidgey to have a mock battle against his rival and the school bully, Gary Oak, and his borrowed Rattata.

"Pidgey, use Gust!" Ash commanded. He had a way with Pokemon, requesting nothing other than their unquestionable obedience in battle. The Pidgey recognised him as worthy, and chose to execute his orders perfectly. A small draft of wind blew towards Rattata, who could not evade the attack, due to a subsequent temper tantrum from Gary. Even at the age of 9, a time when boys were supposed to gain some level headedness, Gary was still as immature as ever, and seeing Ash's Pokemon use a Gust attack made him angry. "It's not fair! He got a higher level Pokemon than me," he whined to the teachers that were watching the mock battle. The arrogant Gary did not realise that the Pidgey he was fighting against was on the same level as the Rattata he was using, both were level 9. His temper had led to Ash's victory. "Yes, we beat Gary!" Ash cheered. "You did a great job, Pidgey. Thanks for helping me out there!" Ash told the Pidgey he had borrowed from his teacher. The rest of the day was just lessons, on status conditions and type advantages, all of which Ash breezed through. He had already learnt the curriculum that the rest of the class was using some time ago. He had no issues whatsoever with the current syllabus, and was already way beyond it.

School ended soon enough. Ash left the building, bag in hand, and ran home hurriedly. He wanted to get out of Pallet as soon as possible; Gary and his gang would soon arrive. Without a word of greeting to his mother, he ran to his room, changed, and then left Pallet Town, escaping to his secret refuge on Route 1. A tree had fallen over in a storm some time ago, and ever since, it had been Ash's 'hideout' of a sort.

He ran towards that secluded area with great speed. He needed time to think, and no one noticed the gap between the two trees, simply assuming that there wasn't one. They just thought it was an abandoned forest that led to an 'uncharted zone' . They did not realise that it was actually a Hidden Grotto, and the aforementioned hideout that Ash wished to go to. His small, lithe figure allowed him to slip through the brambles, and enter the Hidden Grotto. He expected to be alone. But the moment he entered the Grotto, he immediately felt the presence of another. Had some other person found his hideout? Filled with a sense of foreboding, Ash moved forward slowly, and moved his head through the gap to see who was there. Then he saw _**it.**_ A lone pokemon, obviously hurt, lying on the floor. From memory, Ash could tell that this wasn't a species native to the Kanto Region. This was Honedge, a Kalos native, with the dual typing of Ghost and Steel. It was greatly coveted amongst historians, as the scratches on its blade apparently dated back to the medieval era of knights and warriors like Sir Aaron in Rota. As Honedge were ghosts, historians believed that they contained the memories of many individuals who existed at the time. But this Honedge was not like any other Ash had seen in the Pokedex listings that Prof. Oak's aide had so kindly given to him. No, this Honedge was special.

Ash had heard the term before. Shiny Pokemon. Species that were differently coloured than the norm, that far exceeded the normal variant in terms of power and skill. But that was not important. Ash looked upon the pokemon in shock. There were heavy dents upon its blade, and it's ribbon was in tatters. It was evident that this pokemon needed immediate medical attention. Ash approached it with caution ; he did not want the pokemon in question to react violently to his presence. He leant downwards, and examined the blade lying in front of him. It was immediately evident that this pokemon needed immediate medical attention. Ash dared not leave it there - if he did, it would surely die.

He didn't hesitate, and leant down to pick up the blade by its hilt. It wouldn't have been possible to pick it up by the blade - it looked like it was extremely, extremely hot. The Honedge had probably been attacked by some sort of fire type. Holding the Honedge with both his hands on its hilt, the blade almost dragging on the floor behind him, he burst into Professor Oak's lab. Thankfully, there was nobody there. In his time there, he had learned to operate the machine that healed Pokemon. It wasn't too difficult, actually. Just put the Pokeball on the platform and press the button. Then wait for the machine to work its magic. The mechanics behind it were not as important ; it took even Nurse Joy several years to gain an in-depth understanding of what exactly made the machine function.

The Honedge offered no resistance when Ash captured it. Ash needed to capture the Pokemon to put it in the healing machine. The fact that it offered no resistance meant that either the Pokemon subconsciously trusted him, or it was too tired to even put up a fight. Ash suspected a combination of the two ; the Pokemon had been conscious enough when he first arrived, and it would not have let him carry it back to the lab unless it trusted him enough not to harm it. "Of course,' Ash told himself, 'I'll release it as soon as it heals.'

He watched as the healing machine worked its magic. Greenish waves of energy pulsed over the Pokeball, and Ash could imagine the Honedge being healed underneath the plastic-like substance that these magical spheres were made of. It occurred to him, now that the initial panic had subsided, that he was lucky to have gotten here when nobody was around. The old Professor, kind and friendly as he was, had an evident bias towards his grandson and Ash's archenemy, Gary. If Oak had been here, it was possible that he would have allowed Gary to keep the Pokemon, something Ash felt he had to prevent at all costs.

Sure enough, in an hour's time, the machine beeped, signalling to Ash that Honedge had fully healed. He took the pokeball out of the machine, and threw it, releasing Honedge in the process. Now that it had healed, it looked all the more majestic. The ribbon, a mix of dark purple and a reddish hue looked perfectly healed. All the dents had faded, only leaving behind a slight scratch. Healing machines could only do so much, after all. That scar would stay with Honedge for the rest of its days.

Ash walked towards it, again, with caution. Honedge directed its gaze towards the human it regarded faintly as its saviour. An unspoken message of gratitude was already in the Pokemon's eyes. It owed Ash its life. And then Ash felt a slight prod in his mind. A part of his training regime had been meditation, as he had read in a book that Psychic types could communicate telepathically with a person who had sufficient practise at clearing their mind. But never had he read about Ghosts being able to perform the same feat. This was, he supposed, due to the fact that Ghost Pokemon were slightly more rare than the more common Psychic Type. In fact, only one family of Ghost types were native to the Kanto region. Therefore, not many people would be able to see one up close, unless they had the bravery to venture into Lavender Tower. Anyways, he cleared his mind and allowed the Ghost/Steel type to access the segment of his brain that would be a tool used for them to communicate.

'You aided me.' uttered Honedge, in a voice that Ash identified as masculine, as well as slightly curious. 'I was under the impression that humans only help Pokemon to capture them.' Ash looked downwards at this. Technically, he _had_ captured the Pokemon, but only so that it could be healed.

' Honedge…. I apologise for doing so, but I had to capture you…. The machine required you to be in a Pokeball for it to heal you. I'll release you now.' Honedge's eyes moved upwards slightly, indicating curiousity. He wondered why the human was so erratic. But he rather liked that. His fledgling powers as a ghost still allowed him to see into the emotions of people. Ash genuinely wanted to help him. The pokemon could see something else, as well as the selflessness he picked up on when first reading the human's mind. There was… desire. The desire to be something more than what everyone else said he could be. He wanted to prove the people who had hurt him in the past wrong. To break free from the bonds of oppression that separated him from the rest. To become a Master, and become victorious. To that end, Honedge could sense that this trainer would stop at nothing to achieve his goal. In that moment, the Pokemon made its decision.

Honedge would accompany Ash on his journey to the top. The Pokemon realised the boy's potential, and knew the human could only help it get stronger. 'Curious,' the Honedge told the boy. 'I sense limitless potential within you, and yet you are not arrogant or prideful…. I think I will accompany you for now. You seem to hold many surprises, Ash Ketchum. Together, we may rise victorious.'

Ash was dumbstruck. He didn't expect _this_ to happen. He wasn't even old enough to begin his journey. But all those worries dissipated when he glanced at the pokemon that had offered to join him on his journey. 'Of course, Honedge! That would be great! I still have a year before my journey begins, but maybe we can start training now! I can teach you moves, we can do skills training, and so much more! I'm glad I met you, though. I'd like to have another friend I could count on…' Ash told Honedge this in an excited voice, but the last part of his speech was slightly wistful. If steel blades with ribbons could smile, Honedge certainly would have. However, that said, Ash could feel an emotion of satisfaction emanating from the dual typed Pokemon.

"I think you should disappear for now, Honedge, we don't want anyone to see a rare pokemon like you hanging around me," Ash said. Truth be told, he didn't want Gary or the Prof. to see him, as he could predict that Gary would throw a tantrum and ask for Honedge, something the Prof. would happily acquiesce to, seeing as Gary _always_ got what he wanted. Agreeing to this, Honedge promptly disappeared, using his power as a Ghost type to phase out of the earthly dimension and into the realm of distortion, as most ghosts were wont to do every now and then. Ash ran back home, as fast as he could and rang the doorbell, out of breath. His mother opened the door, and gasped.

"Ash! What happened to you! Look at your clothes, they're all tattered! Were you 'exploring' in Route 1 again? It's not safe to explore uncharted territories!" this was said exasperatedly by Delia, her maternal instincts coming into play immediately as she saw the state her child was in. Ash gave an imperceptible shake of the head, and motioned for her to let him in quickly. Delia could see something important had come up, and ushered him in, and then locked the door.

"Mom, I have so much to tell you….. Today, on Route 1, I went to the Grotto, and, caught a pokemon to heal it up and it was hurt and I was wondering whether I could keep it and it agrees and….." Ash said this, quite out of breath, and Delia could not comprehend a single word of what gibberish he was speaking in. "Repeat that slowly, please, Ash?" Delia asked.

Her nine year old son managed to calm himself down, despite his obvious excitement. "So, Mom, I went to the Grotto today." Ash said, taking deep breaths in between sentences. "And there was this Pokemon there. It was badly injured. So I caught it in a Pokeball and brought it to Oak's lab, and healed it. I was wondering whether I could keep it and it agreed to join me and now it's probably-"

"Ash, you're speaking too fast again." Delia said.

"Sorry, Mom." Ash said. "So, I was wondering if I could keep it, and then it started talking to me. We talked for a while, and it agreed to join me. Honedge, this is my mom."

As he said that, there was a flash of red light, and a small ripple in the air - a small rift between this world and the realm of distortion he had disappeared into minutes before. When the ripple calmed down, Honedge had appeared in the room. Delia let out a little gasp, but then assessed the situation slowly. A Ghost/Steel type from the Kalos region had made friends with her nine year old son. She didn't know whether to be scared or happy for Ash, as she knew the challenges that came from raising a Ghost type. But she observed Ash's face. This pokemon truly made him happy, and she would not take that happiness, which he had lacked for so long to be taken away from him.

"That's…. amazing Ash! It's nice to meet you, Honedge! I'm Ash's mother, and I'm glad to see he has made a new friend. I trust Ash's judgement ; I can tell just from seeing the way you're already so well-acquainted with each other, even though you've only known each other for about a day! I think you'll be a great addition to our family, you're always welcome here," Delia said, a smile on her face.. Ash whooped with delight, and Honedge tilted its ribbon upwards, portraying his evident happiness. The two ran (Honedge floated) up the stairs, to Ash's room, and closed the door behind them. Delia smirked, happy at the way things were going. Now that Ash had his first pokemon, it was only a matter of time before he truly came full-circle with the rest of his abilities.

Over the next week, Ash got Honedge accustomed to the town of Pallet, and borrowed a scanner from the friendly aide at Prof. Oak's lab, to scan the moves that Honedge knew. Of course, the Prof. never heard about this little loan, otherwise he would have refused to lend it straightaway. Ash always got the feeling that the Prof. didn't like him simply because of the fact that Ash always outshined Gary at school, and at sports as well. Anyways, Ash scanned Honedge at once, and while it wasn't a full fledged Pokedex, it did give an account of the moves Honedge currently knew. At present, the scanner stated that Honedge was still only 7 months of age, while possessing the simple moveset of Tackle, Fury Cutter and Swords Dance. But the bottom additional note the scanner showed when Honedge was scanned made Ash raise his eyebrows. His pokemon apparently had two Egg Moves. While rare, egg moves were only found on pokemon that had been bred for many generations. The fact that Honedge was still _wild_ and _shiny_ made his existence all the more rarer. One day, Ash hoped he could meet Honedge's parents. They seemed to be very extraordinary creatures, from what Honedge could remember. As such, Honedge had two egg moves : Shock Wave and Iron Head, both of which could be very beneficial in challenging the first two Kanto gyms. Ash smirked at that thought. Next year, he would take Kanto by storm with Honedge by his side.

"Honedge, now that we know your moveset, let's begin training! I read at the library that the best way to begin training pokemon is to help with their overall conditioning! Let's try and begin with some general exercise for you to maintain the levitation you're currently holding for as long as possible, even if we run really fast. I'll go with you!" Honedge was extremely happy to begin his training, and immediately phased out until Ash finally made it onto Route 1. After he made it there, Honedge reappeared and began his exercise. Day by day this went on, until Honedge was able to hold his levitation regardless of the speed he needed to be at, and maintain it for hours on end. It became second nature for the Ghost/Steel type to hold itself aloft in the air. Ash then moved on to tactical training. The idea of tactical training itself was equivocal ; many trainers sought different strategies to give themselves an edge on the battlefield. Ash decided to employ many methods, however, he really wanted Honedge to devote much of their time to learning combinations. As the months went by, Honedge was able to learn how to use moves quickly and efficiently, and quickly mastered his current moveset. After some time, Honedge began to be able to produce vibrations from his sword, that Ash promptly researched, and found out that Honedge had learnt the move Metal Sound.

Of course, Leaf did not simply stand by and watch. While less enthusiastic about the tough and demanding nature of Ash's own training, she also decided to train the Pokemon she had befriended. The Bulbasaur her mother had given to her as an egg had finally hatched, and she had begun to raise it as her own. She preferred to show off the beauty of her Bulbasaur's moves, rather than focus on the brute strength. When Ash noticed her style of training and her preference, he was more than happy to tell her about the art of Coordinating. When Leaf realised this, she read everything she could find on the Contest circuit in the library. She was elated to discover that Kanto had recently opened its own Contest circuit, with there being a Contest Hall with weekly contests in every town that contained a Gym. This matched perfectly with her and Ash's schedule, and so her original dream of travelling with her friends only grew stronger, as her imminent journey came close by the minute.

One day, in the winter, when the ice had turned the whole of Pallet into something new, Ash walked home from school, before he was stopped midway by none other than Gary Oak and his cronies, or, as the idiot liked to call himself, ' The Greatest Pokemon Trainer In The World' in all capitals. It was a slogan he put on all his clothing and personal items. Not only did it make him look arrogant, but the apparent 'cool' look he wanted other people to see was completely lost on everyone who saw him. They just thought his fashion sense was stupid. Except his old, doting grandfather, Prof. Oak.

"What do you think you're doing, Ashy-boy? Did you think you could just avoid me? I've seen you scurrying off to Arceus knows where all the time, but today I'm gonna get you! Come on guys! Let's beat this nerd up!" Gary shouted. His cronies all sneered, and edged closer to Ash. There were 4 of them in total, not including Gary. They all surrounded Ash and didn't seem to have any intention of leaving anytime soon. However, Ash was not fazed in the least. They would see why soon. Gary ran towards him, rage on his face. However, he was promptly stopped by a shadow in front of Ash. Gary stopped, confused. So did his gang. Suddenly, all they could see in their minds were a pair of gleaming, red eyes, infused with malice and the desire to hurt. "M-m-mm-mmmommy!" Gary screamed. He turned tail and ran, his supposed 'friends' in close pursuit. Ash smirked, and beckoned for his trusty friend to phase into his world again. 'You've really gotten better at those mind tricks, Honedge. I've never seen Gary more scared in his life. But to be honest, somehow I think he deserves it,' Ash told Honedge telepathically. 'But of course, Ash. Anyone who threatens my comrade and brother-in-arms needs to get past me before anything,' Honedge responded, quite firmly. Ash sighed and wrapped Honedge in a tight hug, and Honedge took care not to let his blade hurt his trainer. 'Thanks for being there for me, Honedge. These days, I don't tell you enough, but you being there for me has really helped with my confidence. I don't know what I would do if you weren't by my side,' Ash told the pokemon gratefully. Leaf trotted along a few moments later, and Honedge promptly disappeared. Ash hated to keep his friend a secret from Leaf, but he couldn't run the risk of Honedge being seen by anyone until after his journey began.

"Hey Ash! How was school today? I had a mock battle with Lillian and I won with my Rattata! What about you?" Leaf asked amicably.

"It was passable. Gary, the imbecile, lost again, despite having the Pidgey with Gust this time. Honestly, he tries to find every excuse in the book to make sure he doesn't lose. Thank Arceus the teachers aren't as gullible as his grandfather," an annoyed Ash told his friend. Ash simply could not understand how Prof. Oak could believe everything Gary said as true. Leaf simply nodded, as she did not know the full extent of Gary's arrogance, because she was in a different class than the two boys were in. That is, if Gary even classified as a boy. He had been labelled by Ash as a Vigoroth for a long time ; he acted exactly like the arrogant, prideful yet lazy ape from the Hoenn Region. Of course, this reference went straight over Gary's head, as while Gary did possess some level of intelligence, he did not bother to study more than the pokemon native to the Kanto Region. 'So. Damn. Lazy,' Ash thought to himself.

The two companions walked home together, Leaf chatting about the wellbeing of her Bulbasaur, and how the little saurian pokemon had finally learnt the move Leech Seed. Ash was truly happy that she had also gotten the chance to raise a pokemon.

Ash's journey was set to begin in the spring of being 10 years old. His birthday, in fact, was only 2 weeks before his journey began. The time he had from the Christmas break was time that was spent training with Honedge. By now, they had grown strong enough to surpass all the pokemon on Route 1, so they sought to challenge the aquatic pokemon on Pallet Town beach. The aquatic pokemon were significantly stronger, and Honedge had lost some battles against the higher levelled ones, as most trainers only sought to visit that area after obtaining 6 Gym Badges, as Pallet was a point of access to Cinnabar Island. As a result, the wild pokemon were also of a much higher level than a beginning trainer's pokemon would be, so, while Honedge lost a fair few battles, the dual type could only gain valuable experience and tactics from the wild pokemon it lost to. Honedge had begun to share Ash's belief that training with stronger opponents made an individual stronger, and the Pokemon pushed himself every day to gain more strength. The week before Ash's birthday, Honedge learnt Pursuit, after constantly being drilled by Ash to master the components that the move was comprised of. Seeing as Pursuit was a Dark type move, it didn't come naturally to the Ghost/Steel type, so Honedge had to work doubly hard to finally learn and master the move.

Learning Shock Wave had also been difficult to grasp initially. But, it came in time . The genetic mutation within the chromosomes of the sword-like pokemon had led to a natural affiliation for his egg moves. Thus, it took far less time than expected for him to learn the electric type move. Iron Head was second nature to the Ghost. Since Honedge was Steel type, mastering Iron Head was even easier. His parents had the perfect mix of dominant and recessive alleles for the Honedge to gain the ability to use those moves.

When Ash's birthday came around, he only invited Leaf to his house and shared a slice of cake made of a combination of Oran and Sitrus berry shavings, and received gifts from his mother and Leaf respectively. What Ash did not expect was a gift from the kind aide at the Prof's lab who had lent him the scanner and numerous other books and works made by the aide in question. From his mother, he got a leather bound journal to record the happenings in his adventures, as well as new clothes for his journey. His outfit was a dark onyx t-shirt and some travelling trousers. He wore shoes that were fit to trek mountains and hills, as he had told his mother he required them to traverse the mountainous areas of Kanto he knew he would reach at some point in his journey. From Leaf, he got a limited edition Pokemon League cap, except this one was autographed by Champion Lance himself. It was a black hat with an inscription of Lance's signature on the side. He knew that Leaf had spent countless hours on the quiz to get the hat, which was only released each year, with 5 hats being distributed region-wide. He thanked them both profusely, and looked at the parcel he had received from the aide. When he opened it, shock appeared on his eyes for a second, before pure gratitude. The aide had sent him a pen drive, with a note attached to it. The note read:

' _Happy tenth birthday Ash. I wish I could be there in person, but the Prof. needs me at the lab currently. Inside this USB drive is my gift to you. It contains the software to upgrade the Pokedex you will receive soon from the Prof. to National Mode. This privilege gives you the ability to scan pokemon from other Regions, as well as a means of calling those who register the number you are given ; a phone app is also on this USB drive as well. I'd appreciate it if a certain old man were unaware of the advancements I have made to the Dex you'll be getting, but I figured I owed you for not giving presents for the 5 years I've known you. Good luck on your journey as well. Not that you'll need it,'_

The letter concluded with the final sentence that made Ash's smile became even more pronounced. Ash was met with a quizzical look from his mother and Leaf, he simply laughed and shook his head. Leaf would have to deal with it, and his mother…. he wanted to surprise her by calling her when he reached the next town.

Ash felt…. complete somehow…. His thirst to prove himself would finally be quenched, and training pokemon would soon be his career. 'I'll miss this town when I'm gone,' he thought to himself nostalgically. His last member of family, his mother, lived here. She had been the catalyst for the change in his attitude. After all this, he did not want to leave her. His mind became melancholy, almost weeping at the prospect of leaving behind all he held dear. But Ash steeled himself. This journey would make him stronger. He could finally be himself, and gain recognition for who he was…. He knew that parting would be difficult, but he also thought he was ready. The world awaited him .


	2. Chapter 2 : The First Day, Eventful

It was time. Ash woke up, and stretched with cat like poise, mimicking a certain purple cat he had read about that inhabited the Unova Region. He started with excitement, realising that today was the day his journey began. Ash looked at the clock and calculated that he had enough time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then go down to the lab. Honedge phased into the material plane at that moment, floating right in front of his trainer. 'Are you ready, Honedge?' the boy asked the Ghost/Steel type, somewhat excitedly. His telepathic link with Honedge had grown to the point where he could communicate with it easily, like talking to another human being. The red coloured Pokemon nodded in affirmative.

Without another word, Ash went downstairs. He didn't want to waste anymore time talking. Delia smiled as he entered the living room, wrapping her son in a tight hug. She knew she would miss him terribly, but also knew that going on a journey would be good for her child. After making breakfast and eating it with Ash, she sat down next to him, on the sofa. "Have you got everything, Ash? Be safe on the road, and stick to the path. Many challenges will come your way, but I'm sure you can handle them, honey. Good luck, and make sure you take Leaf with you. That girl is the only friend you have, so don't ever let her go," Delia whispered, making sure Ash heard every word.

"I'll miss you, Mom. I'll make sure to call whenever I can, it's the least I can do. I'll be back when I've won the Indigo League," Ash replied, with a solitary tear in his eye. Without another word, he left, knowing that if he stayed a moment longer he would never leave the safe arms of his mother, and never be able to explore the world. The moment Ash was out of the house, he broke into a sprint and ran like the wind, away from the home where he had grown up, feeling both exhilarated and sad. The homesickness had already begun to seep into his soul, but he knew he would overcome it in time.

Not wanting to squander any more time, he walked to the lab, focusing his gaze on the teal sky above him. The automatic door opened as he entered the aforementioned building. The clean, pristine nature of the Lab was something that was not lost to Ash ; it looked to be in perfect condition, an ideal place for research and development. He could see three pokeballs on the desk, and moved forward. At that moment, Professor Oak entered via the back door, carrying 4 small, red devices. They looked exactly like the Pokedexes Ash had imagined himself holding on his journey.

"Ah, Ash! You're the first to arrive! It's rather…. refreshing to see that you aren't as tardy as ever!" the Prof. exclaimed, his tone jovial. Ash knew it was all a farce, an act put on to keep up his image as a nice and caring old man. "As you can see, my boy, I only have three pokemon here, and unfortunately, they have all been accounted for by the other trainers, who made reservations for these pokemon a week ago. Since you haven't done so, I'm afraid I can only supply you with a pokedex. You'll have to find a wild pokemon to be your starter," said the Professor, with something that could be interpreted as smugness in his voice.

Ash simply nodded. He knew something like this would happen, but instead of openly contesting it, he just took his pokedex and left without waiting for an explanation of how to use it from the Prof. What Oak had said about reserving pokemon was a clear and blatant lie. There had been no such reservation process ever, and it was simply a cover up of the Prof.'s real intentions ; to not give him a starter at all. 'Gary must have influenced him more than I expected,' thought Ash grimly. He had remembered the Professor as a kindly old man, who helped him with his studies when he was much younger. The way the Prof. had changed bothered him, but he shook that thought aside. Thinking about things like this wouldn't help him on his quest to become the greatest.

However, he was not at all upset. He had Honedge, after all. His starter was so much more unique, so much more amazing than any of those generic, lab-given starters. Luckily, Ash had made arrangements to invest half of his Trainer funds into an expansion of the fields around Pallet that Ash's family had owned for centuries. There was now fencing surrounding the fields, as well as an artificial pool of water. This way, he could transfer pokemon to his home without the Professor being able to see or harm the pokemon he captured. He had realised, by that time, that the Prof. was not to be trusted, and that ship had long sailed.

With an invisible Honedge by his side, he walked back to the familiar setting of the outskirts of Pallet ; the Hidden Grotto on Route 1. "Honedge, our journey begins now! Let's seize victory for ourselves, and become the pokemon masters we want to be!" Ash exclaimed. Honedge made a rumbling noise, emanating from its blade, which Ash took to be happiness. No words were said. No words were needed. Ash took out a bright red pokeball, the last gift from his mother before his journey. A Cherish Ball. Honedge used his ribbon and tapped the ball. It didn't even need to shake - it just beeped, signalling an instant capture. The true bond of trust between trainer and Pokemon had formed, nothing else remained except getting even stronger.

At that moment, his phone rang - loudly, at that. He sighed and picked up, without noticing the caller ID. "ASH! Why didn't you wait for me?!" Leaf screamed over the phone. Ash gulped. He had totally forgotten about Leaf in his excitement and the events that had happened during the morning.

"Um… would a sorry suffice?" Ash half- asked, half- begged.

"No. I don't think it will. Not unless you wait until I arrive and buy me something to eat. Then we're even," Leaf said, primly, over the phone. Ash sighed, but acquiesced to her demands, backtracking to the local bakery and buying her a blueberry muffin, her favourite snack. Refusing her request would mean certain death for him, and he did _not_ want to die so early, with so much he still wanted to accomplish.

An hour later, Leaf came walking towards him, with an angry glare on her normally kind face. "Next time, wait for me, okay? I may not be as hyped about leaving on a journey, but that doesn't mean you ditch me… I had to go through Gary's semantics by myself!" Leaf told him loudly, hurt that he had not thought of waiting for her.

"I'm sorry, Leaf," Ash replied, trying to placate her as much as possible. She simply sighed, and then forgave him. As long as they started their journey together, it did not matter. Leaf did not want to go out into the vast, unending world by herself. Having friends was always a good thing, and Leaf was a firm believer in that principle. She _had_ vowed to help Ash overcome his timidity, and open up to other people, after all. This journey should really help her achieve that aim. Despite their constant quarrelling, Ash was the only person who she could call best friend. She smiled, and let our her Bulbasaur. When she had heard of Ash's apparent misfortune from the Prof, she had also only asked for her Pokedex, and then left. She knew of Ash and the Oak family's feud, and she would not condone the actions of the Professor. If Ash did not get a starter pokemon, she would also not get one either.

She shook her head to clear it, then asked Ash," Speaking of which, what are you going to do? How will you get a starter pokemon? I heard from the Prof. that he didn't give you one because you didn't reserve it, or some nonsense like that," she told him. Ash smirked, and in one deft motion of his fingers, threw the expanded bright red pokeball into the air.

Leaf gasped in shock when a blade-like pokemon with a ribbon appeared in a flash. She observed it, but could not recognise the species. Seeing her apparent confusion, Ash clarified. "Leaf, meet Honedge, my starter pokemon. I've known him for a year now," he said softly. Leaf was so shocked, she didn't even notice the fact that Ash had been keeping information from her again.

Now that he had said the name of his pokemon, she recognised it as a Ghost/Steel Kalos native. Her knowledge of it was very limited, so she did not know of the odd colouration of the aforementioned pokemon. "Wow… Ash, that's amazing! You clearly haven't been lying idle this whole time. Great! Now we can start the journey on even footing!" she said, hurriedly, but with a lot of excitement. They locked eyes. So far, their bond had been one of friendship. And now, on the threshold of their journey; on the first hour of their journey, that friendship had become something else. Rivalry. Both sought different paths; on wished to be a coordinator, and another, a trainer.

But fate demanded that they clash, if only once, to test each other's true resolve to follow their dreams. And what better time to do that than at the beginning of their venture into the real world? The last item on their agenda remained. It was time to fulfill it. Leaf took out a pokeball from her bag and expanded it. In a flash of light, the green, saurian pokemon known as Bulbasaur appeared. Ash smirked, and wordlessly made his way to his side of the open field they had found to battle on. Honedge watched, and then moved towards Ash's side of the field, phasing back into the world at Ash's side.

"Honedge, let's begin. Show them what we can do, use Swords Dance," Ash commanded, speaking at nothing more than a whisper. The pokemon in question complied; it performed an eerie, yet intriguing dance that boosted its attack quite significantly. Leaf was not entirely sure of the move and its effects, given that her education in a pokemon's moveset was not quite as in-depth as Ash's had been. As a result, she could only deduce that it must have been some form of stat-raising move. She was not too concerned, however. As far as she cared, damage was the key in this battle, as strategy was not necessary at the level she suspected the two pokemon were at. Unfortunately, though she did not realise it, she was sorely mistaken. Heedless of the risk she was taking, she ordered her Grass-type to use the move known as Leech Seed. Leaf smiled triumphantly, as the Bulbasaur prepared the parasitic seeds that were infamous for sapping the health of any opponent, and replenishing that of the user's.

"If you want to play strategy, Ash, I can do the same thing, you know?" She told him, slightly mockingly. Ash did not respond. It was almost as if he was not even listening to her. She saw him gazing intently at the incoming seed projectiles, almost as if he were conversing with his mysterious starter in his head. Leaf could not have been more correct in that thesis, even if she dismissed the notion as foolish. In reality, Ash and Honedge were communing telepathically.

'Evade the projectiles and use Shock Wave,' Ash commanded Honedge, telepathically. Technically, it was not cheating, just using his abilities in the best possible way. Honedge levitated to the side, deftly dodging the incoming seeds. Leaf watched in horror as Honedge directed a burst of controlled electricity towards her Bulbasaur. She did not ponder exactly why the Kalos native knew that particular move, strangely. However, Leaf was well aware of how this move could never miss, and she had no choice but to watch as her Bulbasaur was hit by the wave. The grass pokemon reeled, and staggered backwards. However, it had not been a direct hit, as electric-type moves did not prove very effective against grass types like the saurian pokemon. Nevertheless, Ash smirked at Leaf, tauntingly. His aim had been achieved. The paralysis he had been hoping for had taken place. Leaf glanced towards Bulbasaur and began to realise that all was not well.

A flash of electricity suddenly sparked on Bulbasaur, indicating paralysis. Leaf knew she could not do much more, now that Bulbasaur had had its movement taken away from it. She didn't have to. Honedge levitated faster than she could see, and used the flat end of its sword to ram into Bulbasaur. The sword was covered with a shiny, metallic sheen, indicating that the pokemon was using Iron Head. The contact made the Grass type fall backwards, and then, Leaf knew, It was over. Honedge had won. Ash walked to her side of the field, and patted her on the shoulder, trying to console her over her loss. She gently recalled her fallen pokemon and used her potion to heal its wound. Truth be told, she was dumbstruck. She was unable to fathom exactly how Ash had become strong already. 'I'll just have to work even harder, then,' she thought. 'I will not lose to him the next time we have a proper match.' That was her final opinion on the matter. She smiled, and allowed herself to walk with him, and they both chatted, and laughed down the meandering path of Route 1. They hoped to reach Viridian City within the next day.

Time flew by, and soon, Ash and his companion realised that it was midday. They had walked for the past 3 hours, regaling each other with tales of their starter pokemon, and their bonds with said pokemon. Leaf was now fully acquainted with Honedge, and Ash with Bulbasaur. As for the two pokemon, Honedge was rather smug about his victory, and Bulbasaur did not take kindly to losing either. As such, a rivalry between the two had formed. Ash smiled when Honedge relayed to him the conversation that had taken place , between the two pokemon. After all, many researchers claimed that pokemon did share traits and the views of their owner.

After pondering over that for a good five minutes, Ash finally realised how hungry he was. He had been training against the wild pokemon for some time, on the way, and while Honedge had grown ever so slightly, Ash also believed that eating would be beneficial if they were to continue battling as they made their way to Viridian. So, they stopped for lunch on the bank of a small inlet. Ash had prepared a packed lunch for himself, and Leaf had done the same, so the two lay down on their side and gazed up at the tiring afternoon sky. Pidgey flew everywhere, returning to their homes after a hard journey from the north back to this area of Kanto. Ash spotted a group of Rattata gazing hungrily at his food, so he ate hastily, motioning for Leaf to do the same. She agreed, and in due course, the lunch items were packed, and the two continued onwards. Ash decided to return Honedge to his pokeball, as the Ghost/Steel type did not need to expend more energy than necessary in staying out of the capsule-like device. However, Leaf's Bulbasaur was adamant in staying outside its ball, apparently preferring to walk with its trainer. Ash shrugged. He knew some pokemon had different preferences than others.

Leaf had spent the time working on a combination for her Bulbasaur to utilise; the Pewter City contest would be soon, and she needed to have an array of combinations ready to be used at a moment's notice. So they kept going, until another problem decided to show itself. Ash had always viewed his life to be problem-filled, but this was by far, the worst thing fate could throw at him. Leaf had been idly kicking pebbles across the stream, and as a result, an unexpected visitor had been trailing them. 'A Spearow,' Ash realised, as the identity of their follower had finally been revealed. The air provided perfect cover for the avian pokemon, and Ash could see the mad frenzy it was in. Enraging Spearow was never a good thing. But Ash felt a sudden jolt of panic as he realised one thing; Spearow travelled in packs. He gulped, and told Leaf hurriedly. Both of them turned around and saw what looked to be a flock, no, a legion of deadly birds flying towards them, with glares that could only represent one emotion. Anger. The two trainers ran down the path, fleeing for their lives. Bulbasaur, with its tiny legs, could not keep up, and so Leaf returned the pokemon into her own pokeball.

Ash had heard about Spearow flocks. These birds were fiercely territorial and extremely aggressive, and they didn't shy away from attacking anything that had disturbed them. This made him run all the faster - if they were caught, bad things would happen. They might even get seriously injured.

As they rounded a corner, running at full speed, a large branch fell out of a tree in front of them. Ash barely managed to jump over it, but Leaf wasn't fast enough. She tripped over and fell, and the pokeball holding Bulbasaur rolled forwards, into the bushes. Ash, impulsively, knelt down and reached into the bush to pick up the ball. He realised his mistake immediately, but it was too late. He looked up just in time to see that the birds were almost upon them. There was no choice now but to continue his current course of action. If they had to fight, they would do well to have another Pokemon besides his Honedge.

Bulbasaur was sent out, and Ash helped Leaf up. "We need to fight this one, apparently. Try and concentrate fire towards the leader, if we beat the leader, the rest of the flock will retreat. I think the leader's the one in the centre of the flock. Use long-range special attacks only, so in Bulbasaur's case, Vine Whip or Leech Seed," Ash advised. The situation was grim, but Ash knew that he had to be calm, and collected. Leaf did not have such self control, and was already panicking. But she also knew that they had to face the inevitable. Fight they would. And then Leaf noticed. She noticed the expression on Ash's face, and she was shocked at what she saw. The seamless transformation from an amiable young boy to a cold, ruthless machine disturbed her very much.

He smiled, coldly, and faced down the Spearow approaching. "Honedge, secure my victory," he said, nothing more than a whisper. Honedge appeared, out of the pokeball in Ash's hand, ready to fight. The blade pokemon seemed angry; ready to destroy all the enemies in his trainer's way. Without a command even uttered, multiple waves of electricity were launched against the opponent. Due to the targeting nature of the move, the waves struck true. And yet, only a portion of the flock actually fainted, and the rest got away with singed feathers, which limited their movement, but did little else.

There was nothing to do now but to keep attacking, hoping to hit the flock's leader. There were so many of these birds that it was possible to fire almost any attack, pretty much at random, and still hit something. Shock Wave could never miss anyways, but Leaf's Bulbasaur had moves that weren't quite as reliable. Since Ash's Honedge had moves that were quite effective against Spearow, he had the liberty of aiming his attacks at specific birds that he thought were the leader. Leaf, who's Bulbasaur was not quite as effective on their enemy, had to just request the saurian pokemon fire off attacks, almost at random, just to keep the birds off of her. But slowly, yet surely the birds were pushed back. Honedge's Shock Waves were proving extremely effective, and there was no denying that it was seriously crippling the raging birds. However, not wishing to cause any undue damage that would be irreparable, Ash and Leaf ran in tandem, hoping to reach Viridian City.

Thanks to their appropriate reaction to the situation, they made it out in one piece, with the Spearow too tired to continue their pursuit. Ash sighed in relief, and they walked towards the gate to Viridian. Due to Team Rocket's actions around the region, security was essential, even for a small, less known city like Viridian. However, the city had its own Pokemon Centre and a shopping mart for accessories any trainer might have needed for their journey. Ash and Leaf began to make their way to the aforementioned centre to heal their pokemon. The sheer number of Spearow had meant that both of their pokemon had not come out of the fight without a scratch; in fact, Bulbasaur had sustained moderate to severe injuries around its body.

Nevertheless, both the little pokemon had lots of endurance, and they were both persevering, with the confidence that their trainers would get them healed soon. Soon, the iconic glass doors with the pokeball logo showed itself, after they turned a corner, and upon sight, the two trainers ran towards it, not wishing to waste anymore time dawdling. After all, they had an adventure to continue with, and two pokemon to heal. The automatic doors opened, and a smiling Nurse Joy awaited them.

"Nurse Joy, could you heal our pokemon?" The two asked in unison. The Nurse replied affirmative, acquiescing to their request, as the Nurses all around the region were required to do. Ash and Leaf booked two rooms at the centre for the night, and the two walked out the door, ready to do some shopping to kill time. Healing was not an easy process, and while Ash had done so with Honedge at the Prof's lab, the technology there was inaccessible elsewhere in the region due to high operating costs and the patent the Prof had placed on his invention. So it would take more time than a mere few seconds. Ash and his cheerful companion did not mind in the least, that said; they were happy to explore Viridian in the meantime.

By midday, the two had gone around most of town. The city was rather small, and most locations were actually walking distance. However, the two had an enjoyable time going around the small, yet beautiful city. On their way they had come across a small store where various items were being sold. They entered, and immediately headed for the trainer's section. He found some rather expensive clothing there, and some pokemon food at a decent price, the latter of which he actually bought. What did not escape his eye were the gleaming metal disks at the counter. He knew what those were. TMs. Devices invented by Silph. Co, a technological giant in Saffron. Devices intended to implant the program and data of a move into a compatible pokemon's head. Only a series of moves were made by the company, with the most volatile, destructive ones kept secure by the Pokemon League so that only accomplished trainers could have access to them. However, there were still a fair few that could be sold on the market, but at a hefty price, to be sure.

Ash asked the shopkeeper about which TMs were for sale, and he was met with a dull reply listing a few names. "Alright kid. The TMs here for sale are pretty rare, so make sure you take them now before anyone else comes and gets them. We've got a few interesting ones out here, including Bullet Seed, Flame Charge, Iron Tail and Shadow Ball," the shopkeeper said. Obviously, the more advanced moves were at a higher price, but Ash had not wasted his early years for nothing; investments using his monthly allowance were what he dabbled in before his journey, and investing on Silph Co from when it began made Ash a primary benefactor of the company's startup. As such, he had enough and more funds for the TMs. However, not one to waste, he decided on taking the last two, seeing as they would be good to add to his pokemon's moveset. Shadow Ball would be a good asset for Honedge, not to mention the fact that Iron Tail was a move that many pokemon could learn, and he was hoping to find one that could learn said move in the distant future. He paid the price and left the shop, taking Leaf with him. The girl had been shopping for pokeball seals for her upcoming Contest, and had found some rather attractive ones. Now, all the two actually needed to _do_ was catch a few more pokemon. However, they had time. Viridian Forest would be the ideal location to do so. They would be content to wait until then.

They headed home, via the underground metro set up recently, enjoying the experience they had never seen before, and got off at the correct station, right outside the pokemon centre. After checking in, both trainers went into their respective rooms after wishing each other good night. The first day of their journey had certainly been eventful.


	3. Chapter 3: Fortunate Signs Ahead

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys, but here it is. I'll be fixing any noticeable errors ASAP; I wrote the latter half of this chapter quite late. I'm incidentally looking for a beta reader, but not entirely sure how the process works. If someone could drop me a PM explaining that it would be rather nice. I'm really looking for help with editing, as my grammar is definitely not perfect, as you may see in this chapter.**

The next day heralded their departure from Viridian. They would be returning here eventually, to battle the gym leader. However, both knew well enough that Giovanni, the leader of the gym here, was way beyond both of them. In fact, even if both of them challenged him together, they would still have hardly any chance. He was reputed to be the most powerful gym leader, a step above all the others. Another factor that determined Ash's decision was the sorrowful face of a man with seven badges, who had lost quite badly to said leader, swept in fact.

Ash did not intend on suffering the same fate. He would face Giovanni when he was stronger, much stronger. That said, the two decided to proceed from the city onto the outskirts, once again using the metro system that Kanto had recently developed. They had already packed breakfast the night before, as they did not want to waste their monetary funds on the expensive food items offered inside the city. It was a better option to buy raw ingredients and make food from them. After making sure everything was ready to go, they left Viridian's outskirts and headed onto the short path that was Route 2. Unlike Route 1, this route had two segments; with Viridian Forest separating the two parts of the same route. Of course, their final destination on this path would be Pewter City. The leader of the Pewter Gym was Brock, a user of rock type Pokemon, as the badge name suggested. He was also the weakest gym leader, according to some reliable sources Ash had asked, all trainers who had competed in the previous Indigo League, and were only too happy to give advice. But the opinionated words of others weren't Ash's concern. Brock had to have some strength to have become a Gym Leader, and Ash had already surmised as such. While he acted as the 'easiest' Gym Leader, Ash had heard the whispers. He knew of the rumours. That each Gym Leader had a team so powerful that they could take down a platoon of Team Rockets without even expending a quarter of their energy. These teams were not used against everyone; only the strongest challengers, with 7 badges to their name could challenge a Gym Leader's true team.

'I'll do that one day,' Ash told Honedge, communing to the ghost who was resting inside the pokeball in Ash's bag. While the pokemon could not communicate back with its trainer while in stasis, everything said trainer was doing and saying would be broadcast to him, because of their unique telepathic bond. Ash stopped walking, and pondered upon his imminent Gym challenge for one last moment. The team the Leader was said to use against beginning trainers was rather easy to defeat, especially considering that he had Honedge. The Steel type would not have any problems at all dealing with the Geodude and Onix that Brock used to fight against challengers. However, at that moment, he came to a sudden epiphany. Thus far, he had only been relying on the strength and sheer might of Honedge to clear the first Route to get to Viridian, but that would not be enough to handle the gym. Honedge was, after all, still young, and two battles would tire the Ghost/Steel type out, to the point where serious injury would not be unlikely.

Ash was ruthless when it came to training pokemon, but even he knew when to draw the line. He would _not_ allow Honedge to be permanently hurt or scarred. It had taken all of the pokemon's trust for the Kalos native to accept him as a friend. He would certainly not compromise that. Also, the prospect of adding diversity to his team really appealed to him. Even more so when he overheard the crazed ramblings of an unfortunate traveller who had taken a few wrong turns in the forest. The idiot in question, who had the stupidity to not follow the clearly labelled path to the exit, had turned tail and ran back to Viridian, after a supposed 'creature' with 'flashing eyes' had startled him . The creature, Ash thought, was a water type for certain, seeing as the traveller had clearly stated that the one thing he did notice was how the 'monster' didn't actually leave the lake, but instead, remained in the lake after appropriately chasing the annoying person away. Judging from the description given by the other trainer, Ash had narrowed it down a few options. The flashing eyes indicated the work of a somewhat talented Psychic, and the fact that it resided in the lake could only mean one thing. The pokemon the other trainer had spotted could either be a member from the Slowpoke evolutionary line, or…. Or.. it was an incredibly rare sighting of the elusive starfish pokemon, Staryu. Ash believed this to be more the more likely possibility. Leaf had not questioned his sudden smile after hearing the idiot's tale, but simply believed him to be excited at the opportunity to potentially see a rare pokemon when they themselves entered the forest, that was slowly beckoning them forward, as they turned and followed the winding path to the entrance. If Ash's thoughts proved to be accurate, he would have encountered an extremely rare pokemon by the end of the day.

But Ash put these thoughts to the side. The main thing was to make it to Pewter City today. If night fell before they were out of the forest, which was unlikely, they would be in trouble. At best, they would have to return to Viridian and try again tomorrow. At worst, they'd be injured badly. The forest could be pretty scary and dangerous at night, even to the most experienced trainers. During the day, though, the Pokemon that roamed the forest were quite weak, and they should be in no danger.

As they passed through the entrance gate, an old lady turned to them, and gave a scrutinising look at them. "Watch out in the forest, youngsters," were her words, words of advice that she had apparently told many who were passing through. Ash nodded back politely, and then went through the gates into the forest, Leaf walking alongside him at an even pace. The forest was quiet. The deafening silence worried Ash; he had never seen such a peaceful location in his life. But he did not worry. Because, inside, somehow, he could _feel_ the life around him. He _knew_ of what surrounded him, all the pokemon were there. They just didn't want to be seen. This was their natural habitat, and they had adapted to it so well that Ash and Leaf could not even get a glimpse of a pokemon as they made their way through. Luckily for the two travellers, a path had been available to all trainers going through the aforementioned forest for some time now, so as long as they did not stray off it, nothing… unpleasant would happen.

Ash felt the boredom emanating from the sole pokeball on his belt, and immediately released the inhabitant of said ball from its confines. Even pokemon needed fresh air once in a while, regardless of type. 'Hello Honedge. How was your rest?' Ash asked the groggy ghost/steel type who floated in the air lazily. 'Wonderful, as rest always is,' the ghost replied, and the two began their telepathic conversation in earnest. Leaf had been preoccupied as of late; she had felt left out whenever the two began their conversations in telepathy, but even that did not put her off. She simply ignored them, and focused on the more important things; training her Bulbasaur for the contest. The saurian pokemon had finally learnt how to effectively utilise Leech Seed and Absorb to create a display of sparkles, something Leaf was only too happy to encourage. This combination was a lesser known one, that only trainers who had grass types could utilise. However, it was easy to learn, which saved Leaf the tedious task of teaching the grass type a complicated combination. With a bit of luck, and the skills that the saurian pokemon had developed, Leaf would win the contest.

Viridian Forest heralded the first challenge Ash had to face; the forest was teeming with bug catchers. While weak, these trainers would be valuable experience for Honedge. Smirking slightly, he walked forward. He would not be bested by anyone in the area. As expected, a boy wearing the garb of a bug catcher ran up to him after a few minutes of walking down the trail. Screaming a challenge, the boy whipped out a pokeball from his bag, and sent the bug type out. Ash predicted it to be a variant of the Weedle or Caterpie line, native to the region of Kanto. Sure enough, he was right. The boy sent out a Weedle, and the bug type crawled on the floor, ready for its opponent. Ash simply snapped his fingers, and from the air, Honedge materialised with a flash of red light. The flash was so bright that the other boy had to shield his eyes. Both trainer and pokemon had a flair for the dramatic, as was evident here.

"Ah! W-w-h-hh-a-aaa-t is that?!" The bug catcher called out, in fear. He reeled backwards, surprised by Ash's choice. During this time, Ash caught a glimpse of his name, from the name tag on his chest. The bug catcher, Joey, was completely clueless as to what this new species of pokemon was. "Let me explain to you, idiot. This pokemon is Honedge, a Ghost/Steel type from the Kalos region. He is also going to be the winner of this little battle," Ash responded, rather cruelly. The boy merely gritted his teeth, and commanded Weedle to use its signature move, Poison Sting. While this move was _very_ potent on the traditional Kanto starters, it had a vastly different effect on Honedge. The stingers that Weedle shot out from its tail had absolutely no effect whatsoever. "What?! Are you cheating or something?!" Exclaimed the stymied bug catcher. "Nope. You _evidently_ have no brains at all. Didn't I say it was a Steel type? Steel types are immune to poison type attacks," Ash responded, happy that Honedge had sustained no damage. "Now it's my turn. Honedge, secure our victory. Use Iron Head on the bug. Crush it," Ash commanded, verbally, confident he wouldn't even need to use telepathy to win.

Honedge's body flashed, the telltale metallic sheen of Iron Head activated, and the Pokemon launched itself forward, slamming into the tiny bug type and knocking it flying. The centipede, or whatever it was, flopped onto the ground, fainted. Joey jumped backwards in shock. None of the trainers that had passed through the forest thus far had beaten his Weedle in one hit. They usually always got poisoned. However, he was not going to give up that easily.

"Go, Caterpie!" He yelled, throwing out another Pokeball. A small, green caterpillar-like creature with huge eyes materialised in front of them. "Use string shot!"

The small bug began shooting out a stream of some sort of sticky, web-like substance. Honedge floated around in the air, trying to dodge the strings. But they were quite fast, and the Caterpie was surprisingly accurate. The string caught onto Honedge's blade, and the floating sword was slammed onto the ground. Triumphant, Joey did a little fist pump. "Caterpie, Tackle it!" He yelled, pointing at Honedge, who was lying on the floor.

The bug type did a little run up and jumped on Honedge, who hadn't bothered to move. The attack seemed to pass right through it, and left the Caterpie standing there, somewhat confused. It continued to try and tackle the Ghost type Pokemon, who was just lying there and resting, waiting for the bug to finish. Ash couldn't help but laugh at this scene, before turning to Joey and explaining: "You obviously don't know much about Pokemon types." He said, putting on a slightly patronising tone. "Ghost types are immune to fighting and normal type attacks - they will just pass right through it."

Joey jumped back again, shocked. He sputtered something unintelligible, then got a hold of himself. "Caterpie," he called, deciding that even though the tiny bug could do little damage to the Honedge, it could slow it down for his last Pokemon. "Keep using String Shot!"

Honedge just lay there on the ground, it's one eye blinking lazily, as the bug Pokemon spewed more and more string at it. Ash had commanded him, telepathically, to stay there and just wait for the Caterpie to tire itself out. When it was tired, Honedge would be able to destroy it with ease, bound by string or not. Besides, after all the wild Pokemon they had battled, Honedge could use some rest.

Finally, the bug type began to run out of steam, and it stopped spewing string, pausing to catch its breath. That was when Honedge struck. A small, almost unnoticeable shadow began to creep slowly across the ground, closing in on the helpless Caterpie. While this move - Shadow Sneak - could and usually should be performed at much greater speeds, Ash had thought it would be funny to see the trainer's reaction when his Caterpie was knocked out seemingly out of nowhere. A faster Shadow Sneak, which was the better option against trainers that knew to watch out for the move, was not necessary against this inexperienced youngster. With a loud cracking sound, the Caterpie was launched into the air, and the bug type hit the ground fainted.

"What? How?" Joey screamed, taking another step back and waving his arms around like a maniac. "You're definitely cheating!" Ash suppressed a chuckle at this overreaction, and decided to bait the youngster more.

"Maybe." He said, putting on a poker face. Joey, shocked by this nonchalant attitude, tried to think of a way to respond.

"That's… that's…" he said, fumbling for words to express his sense of having been done a great injustice. "That's not fair!"

"Well, well," Ash replied, doing an exaggerated sigh. "You still have one more Pokemon, right? Why don't we finish this? Honedge, Fury Cutter." Honedge's blade glowed a bright light green, and in a flurry of slashing movements, the Pokemon was free of the strings that bound it seconds ago.

"Fine, then." Joey said, taking a few steps forward and looking a whole lot more confident. "You'll never beat my trump card." Ash was unimpressed, and did a small eye-roll, but said nothing more - Leaf was a lot nicer than he was, and she had been shooting him some dirty looks after he had started toying with the kid.

"Go, Heracross!" Joey yelled, throwing a Pokeball forwards. Ash's eyes widened - Heracross was an extremely rare and coveted Pokemon, both for its raw strength and the remarkable ability to Mega Evolve. Luckily, Ash had done his research on this Pokemon, and he knew that with the moves it could learn at the level he suspected it was at (around fifteen at most, and that was a generous estimate), the giant beetle couldn't do much to Honedge. He was more impressed with the fact that the youngster had managed to capture such a powerful Pokemon with his two caterpillars.

"Honedge, stand back." Ash ordered. He had never seen a Heracross before, only heard about it, and wanted to see for himself what the Pokemon could do. Joey, having learned from his past mistakes (a rare ability these days), knew that most of the conventional moves were not quite effective on this strange floating sword. But Heracross did have a trump card in its arsenal, something that was extremely rare at the level the two trainers fought at. He knew dark type moves were super-effective against ghost types.

 _Something is wrong._

Ash jumped when Honedge said this to him - the Pokemon had not initiated a conversation for the entire morning. If he was speaking up now, it must be something important.

 _I understand. Honedge, prepare to take evasive action. Heracross is quite slow, so you should be able to dodge its attacks._

Honedge bobbed up and down a bit in the air - its way of nodding - and kept its one eye trained on the giant bug-type. It had yet to move, and the two Pokemon regarded each other suspiciously. The Heracross seemed pretty confident, Ash noted.

"Heracross," Joey said, all trace of his previous unease gone from his voice, "Use Night Slash!" Ash's eyes widened once more. A Heracross that knew the move Night slash was a rarity, especially at this early stage, where the the means to allow Pokemon to be tutored moves was not yet accessible. The only possible explanation for this Heracross knowing the move Night Slash was that an advanced trainer had caught it, planning to train it, before changing his mind and releasing it back into the wild.

The giant beetle lunged forwards, both of its claws flashing with a strange, dark energy. He took a swipe at Honedge, who managed to dodge it fairly easily. The bug type, although powerful, was quite clumsy, and the nimble Honedge was able to dodge its attacks fairly easily. The Heracross was obviously not very skilled yet. If it had been well trained, Ash would have no chance, especially with a basic evolution ghost type like Honedge, no matter how well trained it was. Fortunately for Ash, this Heracross appeared to be newly caught.

 _Honedge_. Ash said, communicating telepathically with his Pokemon. Now that he was facing a powerful opponent, he would use anything he could to give himself the advantage. _Continue trying to avoid it's attacks. Use Shock Wave when you can._

The ghost complied, not wanting to get hit by the Night Slash that would spell its doom. However, Heracross was not without wits, unlike its inexperienced trainer. In fact, the dual bug/fighting type seemed to have gotten used to Honedge's evasion tactics. The bug smirked, and completely disobeyed its trainer's orders, landing a direct hit to Honedge after feinting another Night Slash. The Ghost/Steel type let out a cry, unable to fathom how it had been hit.

Honedge was launched backwards quite a distance, but it somehow managed to stay standing (or floating). It followed through on its trainer's orders, shooting waves of electricity that chipped away at the Heracross's health. The Heracross trudged forwards again, swiping once more at the Sword Pokemon. Honedge dodged out of the way and quickly floated to the other side of the clearing, although Ash could see that its movements were more laboured now and lacking the elegance that they once had.

Joey seemed to notice that he seemed to be winning. "Yeah, Heracross!" He yelled, doing a fist pump. "Keep it up!". Ash noticed that he seemed to be at a loss as to how to get Heracross to follow his orders. It made sense - the beetle had been caught and trained before, and was unlikely to give in to such an inexperienced youngster. While Joey seemed to be the one in control, Ash could tell that he was really just an observer now.

But more importantly, the Shock Waves Honedge was sending out weren't doing much to faze Heracross, who continued to swipe at Honedge. The Sword Pokemon was slowing down, and Ash knew that while it was still standing (or floating), it wouldn't be able to keep it up for long. He had to end it quickly. Luckily for him, Honedge seemed to be growing more accustomed to the Heracross's attacks and feints, and the earlier technique that had caught it off guard was not nearly as effective.

 _Honedge._ Ash said, watching as Honedge skillfully sidestepped another swipe from Heracross. _Use Metal Sound, then follow up with Iron Head_. After he gave the order, Ash stepped back and covered his ears.

Honedge was slightly slower to react to his order than usual, which spoke volumes as to how tired the Sword Pokemon really was. Honedge was good at hiding its fatigue, but it could not fool its trainer, who knew it well. But Heracross, who operated independently of his trainer, did not see the move coming despite its trainer's shouts. An extremely loud sound like nails on a chalkboard blasted out from Honedge's vibrating blade, forcing Joey to cover his ears and distracting the Heracross. Honedge used this opportunity to slam into the distracted beetle with its blade glowing the metallic sheen that characterised the move Iron Head. The force of the impact knocked even the giant beetle backwards, and Honedge quickly got out of the range of heracross's melee attacks, throwing in a weak Shock Wave as he did so. Ash could see that Heracross was getting tired, but Honedge was going to succumb to his injuries soon enough. The Sword Pokemon was shaking slightly as it tried to keep it balance in the air, dropping downwards occasionally before righting itself.

 _Honedge._ Ash said, communicating telepathically with his Pokemon. At this stage, he could and would use any advantage he had. The battle had to be ended soon, or Honedge would be unable to continue. _We need to end this quickly. Use that combination again, then hit it as hard as you can with Shock Wave._

Honedge followed through on his command admirably, considering the injuries it had sustained. After releasing the loud, horrible noise, it dove down and rammed into the Heracross. Unfortunately, Heracross was prepared for it this time and managed to smack Honedge again, but this time with a move that was quite obviously not Night Slash. Honedge was sent flying backwards by the attack, but somehow managed to release the powerful lightning type attack he had been charging up as he did so. The blast of electric type energy was powerful enough to knock even a Pokemon like Heracross of its feet, and Ash thanked the stars for the move's almost unique property of always landing a hit on its target. Heracross collapsed onto the ground, flailed for a while as it tried to get up on its somewhat short limbs, then went still, fainted.

Ash immediately ran over towards where Honedge was lying on the ground and took out one of the sprays in his bag - a potion. He pressed the button and sprayed the chemicals the bottle contained onto Honedge and watched as the wounds Honedge had suffered - a large dent in the blade, numerous scratches, and a torn ribbon - began to disappear under the almost magical healing abilities the spray possessed. When he was sure that Honedge was safe and healthy again, he turned to Joey, who was staring at his fainted Heracross with a mixture of disbelief and frustration.

After they had finished with Joey, Ash and Leaf continued deeper into the forest. As they went further in, the trees began to become thicker, blocking out more of the sunlight. They also encountered fewer trainers, probably because most would find the trees all around them somewhat disconcerting.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Ash muttered, stopping to look around him for the third time in about five minutes. "I feel like we're being watched."

"Come on," Leaf said, her tone showing her impatience. She was standing a good ten meters or so ahead of Ash, and had stopped to wait for him. "If something was watching us, then it would - whoa!" She jumped back just in time as a small, rat-like creature leapt at her from a branch, its sharp horn narrowly missing her face.

Ash quickly ran forward, curious as to what Pokemon had attacked his friend. The small, rat-like Pokemon was a shade of blue, marking it as a female member of the Nidoran species. The Nidoran glared at the two trainers and growled, its horns bristling in a menacing way.

Ash quickly recalled all the information he knew about Nidoran. It was a rather weak poison type Pokemon that was common on the routes nearer to Pallet. The barbs it possessed are poisoned and can be extremely dangerous, so close contact was discouraged. While most people didn't bother, if it was trained, it would evolve into a much more powerful Nidorina, and then into an extremely powerful Nidoqueen. Ash quickly recited all of this information to Leaf, who wasn't listening.

"Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder!" She yelled, pointing at the Nidoran. Bulbasaur made a movement with its head that looked like a nod before releasing a cloud of greenish powder that floated over to where the Nidoran was sitting and growling at them. Ash knew that Leaf was trying to do. If she could make it fall asleep, she would be able to catch it without harming the little rat creature.

Unfortunately, the Nidoran was not going to sit still and fall asleep. Instead, sensing danger, it lowered its horn and charged forwards, ramming into Leaf's Bulbasaur, which it seemed to have identified as the source of the danger.

"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" She yelled, and Bulbasaur, angry at the little rodent for harming it, was all to happy to comply. Thin vines shot out from the bulb on the saurian Pokemon's back, and began slapping the Nidoran relentlessly, driving the small poison type backwards. Even though the vines did not deal that much damage, especially to a poison type that resisted grass type attacks, they still stung, and the Nidoran was driven backwards by the relentless onslaught. Leaf reached into her bag for a Pokeball.

"Bulbasaur, enough!" She called, taking aim at the distracted Nidoran. Ash knew that she had called off her Pokemon because the vines would get in the way if she tried to throw a Pokeball at her target now. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best idea. Since the vines didn't do that much damage, the Nidoran, now free of the stinging attacks, immediately charged one more at the Bulbasaur. Leaf reacted quickly, ordering her Bulbasaur to use Sleep Powder again. The Nidoran ran right into the greenish cloud and got a facefull of sleep-inducing powder, falling asleep on the spot.

Leaf, triumphant, casually walked over, knelt down by the Nidoran, and bonked it lightly on the head with her Pokeball. Overall, a successful capture. Ash smiled at her, with congratulations written on his face. "My first pokemon," Leaf said to herself, seemingly moved by her first capture. "I'll treat you well, Nidoran." While most trainers would have continued on their way through the forest, Ash noticed something. The bush that the Nidoran had leapt out of was not just that. There was a small body of water that was visible, through the leaves, and Ash knew that that was the place. The only lake in Viridian Forest was here. The inhabitants would normally get their water from the rain and the moisture in the forest, leaving the lake Ash was looking at,mostly uninhabited. However, Ash knew better. There was something in there, and the trainer he met in Viridian had told him as much. A single, red flash suddenly jolted Ash's vision, as he calmly approached the hidden inlet. However, he did not flinch, simply shielding his eyes. This was Confusion, a move that many psychic types used to ward off enemies, and it would have done so, had Ash not taken precautionary measures. Leaf was still waiting behind him, as they had promised to meet up in a half hour after Ash had done whatever he needed to.

He smirked, and walked towards the lake. His suspicions were confirmed. Floating on top of the water, was a starfish-like pokemon that he immediately recognised as the virtually extinct species of pokemon, Staryu. Its red gem was blinking rapidly, as if the pokemon was alerted to Ash's presence. The boy gazed at the pokemon with a brownish hue in wonder. Hunted for the precious gems that were their mind and core of their body, these pokemon were virtually extinct. In fact, in recent years, they had become rarer to find than sighting a Lapras pod. But that was not all. Ash had come here, knowing he would find this pokemon, but also for a purpose. He would catch this pokemon, and make it the second in his team.

"Staryu, prepare for battle," Ash whispered, loudly enough for the starfish pokemon to hear. It responded with a series of clicks and cries that Ash realised was a battle cry. The defiance that it was showing, already, was a good sign, Ash surmised. Honedge was called out, appearing in style, as usual with a red flash of light. Both the ghost and the trainers had a flair for the dramatic, as evidenced by the seemingly unnecessary flashes of red light upon entrance. Honedge spun around in the air, happy to be out once more, out of the confines of the pokeball. The pokemon's red ribbon seemed to dance in the wind, which indicated the pokemon itself was energised and ready.

Staryu responded to this show of power by spraying water into the air, not wanting to feel left out. ' _I have dealt with many two-legs like you, fool. Do you really think you can match up to me? My power will leave your apparition wishing he never existed,'_ said a voice, that had somehow entered Ash's head. For the first time that day, Ash gaped at the starfish pokemon with shock.

' _You can use telepathy already?!'_ Ash exclaimed, questioning the pokemon through the mental link they had seemingly established. Normally, only Starmie were capable of telepathy, and even still, they were not exactly the best orators. However, not only could this Staryu, not even a psychic pokemon yet, use telepathy, but it could talk in such fluent English? A smile appeared on Ash's face. This day had gotten much better now. "Enough talk. Let us take to the field. Honedge, secure our victory, use Shock Wave," Ash said softly, loud enough for the ghost/steel type to hear.

The floating apparition complied, and a jolt of electricity was launched towards Staryu , signalling the doom of the starfish pokemon. However, the water type saw it coming, and started spinning rapidly. The speed of its spinning was so fast that it launched itself into the air, attempting to evade the wave of electricity. But its efforts were futile. The water type screamed in pain when the electricity moved upwards to hit it. Honedge waved its ribbon around, indicating mirth. Ash laughed, a disturbing laugh at that. He knew the Staryu would dodge, and had deliberately asked Honedge to use a move that could not be evaded. The attack had subsequently charred Staryu's skin, hurting the water type quite badly. It was, after all, an electric type move. However, the water type did not back down so easily. It launched a small blast of water at Honedge, that Ash realised was a Water Gun attack. It connected, pushing Honedge back slightly. "Again. Use Shock Wave to end this, Honedge," Ash uttered, coldly.

This battle was over, or so he thought. But the Staryu was smarter than Ash had expected, and launched a water gun at the wave of electricity that would have knocked it out. Shock Wave could not be dodged, however it could be dispersed if one managed to hit the electricity with a powerful enough move before it made contact. The Staryu had done just that. Ash looked momentarily surprised for a second, and then ordered Honedge to immediately use Iron Head. 'Finally. A challenge,' Ash thought. Staryu would make a worthy addition to his team. The starfish pokemon was full of surprises. Honedge turned silver, and slammed into the starfish. While not so effective, it did startle the water type, making it flinch. While the starfish was trying to recover from the impact of Iron Head, Honedge took initiative and launched another Shock Wave at the Staryu.

But Staryu managed to recover in time to use a water gun that dispersed the electricity yet again. Ash was more annoyed than before. He had expected an easier win. However, he knew that he had the upper hand. "Alright, this time, let's actually finish this. Use Iron Shadow, Honedge," Ash told the ghost/steel type. What resulted was the ghost type glowing crimson, purple, and silver. Honedge vanished with a flash into the shadows, or the other realm where ghosts resided. At seemingly superhuman speeds, it appeared spontaneously behind Staryu. A combination of the ghost type move, Shadow Sneak, and Iron Head hit the starfish pokemon at point blank range. It was knocked into the air, and out of the water. It did not move, indicating that it was weak enough for Ash to capture it.

The boy dug into the pockets of his pack and found a pokeball within them. He threw it with a swish of his hand, with finesse that was not normally associated with beginner trainers. Usually, most trainers simply just threw it as hard as possible. Ash knew better. That could potentially hurt the pokemon, and while Ash was not the most kind-hearted person, even he could not accept such callous behaviour, thinking that it reflected poorly on a trainer. Satisfied with his capture, he left the lake, returning to the spot where Leaf was waiting. He did not show his true emotions, like most other trainers, but he was rejoicing inside. He had finally captured his first pokemon, aside from his starter, and would cherish the moment for a long time to come. After a few minutes of walking and cutting through the thick bush that surrounded the hidden lake, he caught sight of Leaf, leaning against the bark of a tree. He winced inwardly when he saw the furious look she had on her face. Apparently it had been over an hour since he had left.

"Ash! Where have you been?! I nearly drove myself mad with worry!" The girl screamed, furious at how late he had been. He gulped and apologised numerous times to her, trying to placate her. After a while, she calmed down, and the two walked in silence, eager to reach the gates of Pewter City.

They got there in the late afternoon, after battling numerous Bug Catchers en route. Leaf also participated, using combination moves to best the rather weak trainers she found along the way. Ash knew that she had developed some rather interesting combinations that hinged upon Bulbasaur's proficiency of status moves. While beautiful to look at, they were _very_ potent. The girl also made it a point to start training the female Nidoran she had captured previously. Its moveset was still rather limited, but that did not deter Leaf from making it use whatever it currently had in its arsenal to annihilate the bugs that were the pokemon of the bug catchers they encountered. Ash did not let up, either. Honedge was already skilled enough to battle the first gym leader, and possibly even the second due to the strict regimen Ash had originally put the ghost/steel type through since their initial meeting so many years ago. Combined with the experience of the powerful pokemon that resided in the waters of Pallet Town's coastline, Honedge could easily face the challenges that lay in the forest. Hence, Ash used a Revive that his mother had put in his pack on his newly captured Staryu, and battled in the forest with the water type instead.

Ash had originally thought that the sight of such a rare Pokemon would impress the trainers he found, but he soon discovered that few people were as informed in these matters as he was. Most had just assumed it was another common water type. Leaf, however, did know about the rarity of these Pokemon, and spent a lot of the time staring at it with a mixture of reverence and envy, something both Ash and his new 'friend' did not fail to notice. While the newly captured Staryu had not gotten any less friendly to others and still insulted even him every now and then through their telepathic link, it did follow through on the orders he gave it admirably. Honestly, that starfish pokemon did not seem to like anybody or anything. But it did have a grudging respect for Ash, the trainer who caught it. Staryu, more than anything, respected the power Ash and Honedge possessed, and respected the potential that Ash had to be great.

Staryu and Ash had had a very long day. When they realised they had made it, Ash immediately recalled the starfish pokemon, not wanting to gain any unwanted attention. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. The journey through Viridian Forest had been taxing, albeit necessary. Ash and Leaf walked tiredly towards the unmistakable red roof of the Pokemon Centre, a great contrast to the dreary looking city that was Pewter. They asked Nurse Joy for two rooms and immediately went to crash. Staryu, Honedge, Bulbasaur and the female Nidoran had been given to Nurse Joy to heal, and by morning, Ash and Leaf would have two fully recovered pokemon.

* * *

 _The next day….._

Ash awoke to nothing. The eery silence unnerved him, but he quickly realised that the reason for the silence was that the sun had yet to rise, and most people were still asleep. He went about his daily ablutions, making sure he was ready for the upcoming day. Unlike most inexperienced beginners, he was _not_ going to immediately challenge the gym simply because he had two pokemon with an advantage. That was sheer stupidity. Brock, although supposedly weak, and a good target for beginning trainers, was still an extremely good trainer. In fact, there were rumours about him going easy on those that challenged him, and that in reality, his team was much, much more powerful. But these rumours did not interest Ash - he only cared for the team he was going to fight, and that would be Brock's standard gym team.

Also, Ash wanted to prepare for the road ahead. His long-term plan for the next month would be to reach Vermillion. That would entail traversing Mt. Moon, and beyond. Silently walking out of the room, he greeted a sleepy, disheveled Nurse Joy, who tiredly handed over his fully healed pokemon. Leaf was still asleep, and Ash had no intentions of waking her. She would be rather upset if he did so, and he did not want to see her upset. The last time he had seen her in that mood, he had come out of the confrontation cradling his family jewels and in great pain. Leaf could kick rather well, and was extremely accurate when she needed to be.

The automatic doors slid open, and he exited the centre. The sky was still dark, but he was still able to clearly follow the cobbled stone path towards Route 3. A quick visit to the cave would not hurt Ash; in fact, in heralded the opportunity to scout out the upcoming path to Cerulean. Obviously, there were no trainers around, meaning that Ash was alone. He did not bother going to the Pokemon Centre at the foot of Mt. Moon, instead just walking into the cave.

It was dark. And cold. He could hear the dripping sound of water, indicating that there was moisture within the cave. Trainers used this route often when passing from Pewter to Cerulean, but from what Ash had searched up using the upgraded pokedex given to him by the Prof's Aide, no one had actually bothered to map out the cave. This was not a problem, however. Ash caught only glimpses, but noticed that the only harmful pokemon in the cave would be a swarm of attacking Zubat. As individuals, nothing in this cave seemed too difficult to deal with. He decided, after some thought, that he would explore the cave further, as he still had 3 hours before Leaf woke up.

Thankfully, some thoughtful adventurer had placed ladders to descend into the lower level of the cave, otherwise, Ash feared that he would have had a serious problem, due to his not exactly top-notch physical condition. The Pokemon Rangers' Association had placed ladders and helpfully dug exits at every potentially dangerous place a trainer might traverse. The project had taken at least 50 years to complete, but Ash knew from his prior knowledge that all the regions in the world had had Rangers put ladders and exits in all the dangerous places. To this day, trainers were thankful for the aid, which had saved many trainers from untimely deaths.

After some climbing, Ash found himself in a lower level of the cavern. A few angry Zubat had attacked him, but Honedge quickly dispatched them all with a few well placed Shock Waves. After some training within the cave, mainly battling the numerous wild Pokemon that lived there, such as the Paras and Geodude, Honedge had grown slightly. The flying type move, Aerial Ace, had been added to the red coloured ghost's growing arsenal. Ash had also used the TM bought from the Pokemart at Viridian to teach his partner the move Shadow Ball. With the new additions to its arsenal, the Ghost/Steel type simply radiated power. Nothing nearby could stop this ghostly apparition of a blade.

Staryu had not participated much in the battles within the cave, preferring an environment more suited to its own skill set; specifically, water. The starfish pokemon had the versatility to move on land, thanks to the spinning it was capable of, proving to be almost like levitation in a sense. However, it was nothing compared to how fast the water type could move in its home turf; the water itself. Staryu had proved itself to be a remarkable asset to Ash's team, with the move Recover being learnt soon after Ash caught the starfish Pokemon. It also developed the ability to camouflage itself within an environment, thus being able to change its type depending on the location, an ability Ash attributed to the move aptly named Camouflage. While not so useful, it served a purpose far beyond Ash's comprehension, and the boy did not understand why exactly the move existed. Nevertheless, it was another move added. Lastly, the water type had also begun to show signs of learning the move Swift. While currently still weak, the move, when practised, would be a great way of getting a hit in. Like Shock Wave, it was incapable of missing.

Ash sighed, and turned around, about to leave. That was when he heard footsteps. Evidently, he was not the only inhabitant of this cave anymore. He started climbing the ladder, and hoisted himself back to the level near the Pewter exit. That was when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned, reflexes taking over, and got into a fighting stance. With Team Rocket running around all over Kanto, one could never be too careful.

He was rewarded with a chuckle from the grey haired man who had tapped him in the first place. The man in question wore a clearly expensive suit, some famous designer label that Ash recognised to be very high end. But the stickpin the man had attached gave his identity away. Ash threw a surprised look at said person, realising he was face to face with the current champion of the Hoenn Region, Steven Stone himself.

"Why hello, young man. What exactly would you be doing here at this early hour?" queried the bemused man, now identified as Steven.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about, sir," Ash replied in an even tone, despite the excitement building in his veins. "But what _is_ the Champion of Hoenn doing here? Is anything the matter?" Ash asked the man, his curiosity piqued.

"To satisfy my curiosity. I had planned a trip here to investigate the fossils that may or may not have been buried within the deeper recesses of the cave," was the response Ash received, with Steven clearly pronouncing every word. Ash caught the traces of an accent on his voice; proving that he was, in fact, from the tropical location of Hoenn. The Champion beckoned him forward, telling Ash to follow him.

The two walked, with Steven doing most of the talking. The Champion had taken a liking to the young trainer, seeing his rational method of thought and his logical state of mind as traits that the two had in common. The fact that Ash owned a steel type, and a Honedge at that, only excited Steven even more. The two exited the cave, deep in conversation on how to accurately care for a Steel type, and for once in Ash's life, he felt a deep sense of awe. The man he was currently enraptured in conversation with was the leading authority on Steel types. Steven was the undisputed Champion of the Hoenn Region, a title that was won and kept through 20 years of hard work, discipline, as well as having the respect and loyalty of a pseudo-legendary pokemon - his starter, Metagross. The titan of steel was infamous for bringing down half of Lance's team before finally falling, and was rumoured to be an impenetrable wall of steel that possessed a burning passion for crushing its opponents. Even on the television, Ash had watched the beast annihilate many of its opponents with a mere smash of its legs to the ground.

After an hour or so of conversation, Steven realised that it was time for him to leave. He had successfully discovered several fossils within the cavern, and should have left for Hoenn some time ago. He told Ash this, and bade the young boy farewell, promising to watch his performance at the Indigo Conference, which would be held 10 months from now. Ash smiled and nodded, happy to have grasped so much information from the Champion. Honedge now had some training to do. As a gift before Steven flew off on his Skarmory, he had entrusted Ash with one of the fossils from the three he had found at Mt. Moon. Ash had been flabbergasted at the gift, initially refusing. However, Steven was adamant in regards to giving him one. The boy would go far, and the Champion did not want to let such potential slip past him.

So, finally, Ash picked the Claw fossil, containing the skeletal remnants of an Anorith. Steven had smirked at the choice, and advised Ash on how to care for the Bug/Rock type when it was revived. Steven had given him a pass that allowed him access to the unique machines in the Pewter Museum that allowed a trainer to turn a fossil into a living, breathing Pokemon. Ash was bursting with joy - his morning excursion had given him so much more than he had come for.

But the revival of his new teammate would have to wait. First, Ash had a gym battle to win. He had already started to form some sort of plan. He would tackle the gym in the afternoon, after spending the rest of the morning with Leaf. The museum was supposed to be rather interesting, and Leaf had already agreed to accompany him to see the exhibits. Ash returned to Pewter and met up with his travelling companion, who had just gotten up and was at the breakfast counter, eating. Ash joined her, and they talked about plans for the day, eventually deciding on going to the Museum in the morning than going to the gym in the afternoon, much like what Ash had originally planned.

After breakfast, they walked out of the Centre after Leaf collected her Pokemon from Nurse Joy. They paid a visit to the museum, which was as interesting as Ash expected it to be. There was an exhibit of an ancient stone tablet depicting Clefairy and the Moon Stone that really caught Ash's interest. Mt. Moon clearly needed to be explored once more, and Ash decided to do so after they finished their errands in Pewter City.

He had not forgotten about Leaf's upcoming Contest. The brunette had been hard at work, getting her pokemon ready for the appeal round and the battle round. The date of the event had been set to tomorrow, which gave Ash the time to focus on his own issues. In the late afternoon, he made a decision. Today would be the day Ash won his first gym badge. He headed towards the gym, Leaf walking alongside him, ready to face the first true obstacle in his journey.

The doors slid open, and Ash was faced with a surprise. A huge expanse of artificial rocky terrain was all the eye could see. Many trainers were continuing their regimen for the day, ready to challenge any rookies who wished to take on the Leader. Ash smirked, ready to battle. It was showtime.

Staryu dispatched the trainers without an issue, using a constant burst of water to deal with the Geodude and Sandshrew that were sent out to oppose. As a result, the last hiker blocking his path to the Leader moved aside, and Ash moved forward into the final mini-stadium in the gym. And there he was. Brock stood, calm and poised for battle, interested to see how his latest challenger would fare against him. After the standard introductions, the referee called for the battle to begin.

"Geodude, let's go!" Shouted Brock, as he sent out his first of two pokemon. A Pokemon resembling a rock appeared, with two arms that appeared muscled on both of its sides. It was known for not exactly being the most powerful Pokemon around, but could still pack a punch when used properly. Ash wordlessly responded by sending out Staryu. The starfish pokemon spun, propelling itself into the air, then let out a cry, signalling it was ready to battle.

"Use Water Gun, Staryu. Constant bursts all over the field," Ash said, all the while examining Brock's Geodude. While he was capable of communicating to the Staryu telepathically, the link was far from perfect, and Ash didn't want to risk the Staryu mishearing his order.

"Geodude, use Rock Tomb!" Brock yelled, and his let out a battle cry as rocks began to appear in the air seemingly out of nowhere. They were launched at Staryu, who expertly hit them at just the right angles with Water Gun, deflecting them into the walls behind the two battlers. The instant the barrage was finished, Staryu unleashed its own attacks, sending jets of water shooting out from the gem in the middle of its star-shaped body. The attacks slammed into the helpless Geodude in rapid succession, defeating the rock type before it could react.

One down.

One more to go.

A/N 2: Yay ^^ We see some OP skills from Joey's Heracross, but in the end, Honedge wins, as always. Viridian Forest has now been traversed, and Ash has a new companion in Staryu. I love this starfish pokemon, and tried to include some details as to its rarity, which has increased a lot in the pokemon universe that this AU is in. Also, we see him encounter Steven in Mt. Moon, who offers him some advice on how to train Honedge. And a fossil for Anorith. Seriously, I love Armaldo as well, and he will **definitely** now be on Ash's team. I may have not developed Steven's character very well this chapter, but in future chapters, he will make a another appearance, so don't worry, we'll be seeing him again soon. What did you guys think? How was my (attempt) at a cliffie at the end there? I did try. I'm loving the support this story gets, but I'm looking for more reviews, so please **R &R** everyone ~ And yes, I did love the poll results, but last I checked, Psychic type won, hence, Staryu. Because Starmie is psychic type, technically I am still keeping my promise. Ha.

Chapter 4 will be posted soon, hopefully within next two weeks if I'm not too busy with studying. Check my profile for updates on the progress of it.

Dhram out.


	4. Chapter 4 : Of Clashes and Epiphanies

**A/N: And... we're back! With a new chapter, shorter than usual, but, exams suck. Sorry. I'll make a longer one next time.**

"You're pretty good." Brock said as he reached for his second Pokeball, sounding somewhat amused. "I haven't battled someone who could knock out Geodude without taking any damage for a long time." Ash didn't respond.

The pokeball Brock was holding burst open in a flash of light, revealing the hulking form of an Onix. These giant snake-like Rock Types were quite terrifying to behold, and Ash, despite fully expecting what he was seeing, unwittingly took a step back. Despite having heard tales about the boulder snake's size before, seeing the real thing was another matter. The beast was _huge._ It was at least 3 times taller than Ash in height, and it loomed over the Starfish pokemon, despite said pokemon using its powerful spins to keep it high in the air. Ash was not perturbed however. Being large made the overgrown mass of boulders an easier target. The trainer had no doubt that Staryu would not win this battle, but he needed the starfish to wreak as much havoc as possible, to secure the win for Honedge, who was lying in wait.

However, he knew that Onix, while powerful, was not as powerful as many thought. Well placed attacks aimed at specific points on the Rock Type's body would knock it out without much trouble. The problem was, Onix was able to travel at surprisingly fast speeds for something that large, and hitting those specific points would prove to be troublesome. Moves like Swift and Shock Wave only guaranteed a hit on the target - they did not guarantee a hit on a specific place on the target. That meant that he would have to rely on careful aim to strike where he needed to strike. As everyone knew, aiming carefully was a hard thing to do when you are in a room that wasn't exactly what one would call gigantic, facing a giant rock snake that hits hard and moves fast.

"Staryu, use Water Gun. Try to hit as hard as possible. Stay away from him." Ash commanded, never taking his eyes off his gigantic opponent. The tactic he had used to defeat Geodude - constant, never ending attacks - wouldn't be as effective on the Onix, who could tank the somewhat weak water type attacks with ease. He simply had to blast it as hard as possible, hoping to hit one of the weak points in the snake's stone body. While Staryu would definitely be able to get a better shot in if it closed in, Ash didn't want to risk it getting into close contact with something that was powerful enough to knock it out of the air without expending an awful amount of energy.

Staryu began to blast concentrated and powerful beams of water at the Onix. Unlike the previous attacks it had used against Geodude, which were quite scattered and weak, focusing more on just hitting the enemy than doing damage, these attacks were extremely powerful. If one had hit a human, the person in question would probably have been knocked unconscious.

Unfortunately, Onix wasn't even fazed by these attacks, which just splashed seemingly harmlessly onto the hard rocks that made up it's body. "Onix," Brock said, pointing at Staryu, "Use Rock Tomb."

"Staryu," Ash ordered, watching as rocks began to appear in the air, "Use Rapid Spin when they are about to hit you." Since he wasn't confident that Staryu would be able to dodge these projectiles, Ash had decided that opting to deflect them was the better option. As the rocks were launched forwards by some strange energy, Staryu stopped its attacks and began to spin, going faster and faster as the rocks closed in on it. When they were almost upon the starfish, Ash gave the signal to attack. The energy built up from the Staryu's spinning released itself, and the starfish's fins suddenly became covered with a strange whiteish energy. It launched itself forwards, its rapidly rotating body deflecting the boulders that were launched at it. Ash breathed out a sigh of relief - he had been worried that rapid spin wouldn't be able to do the trick.

His relief immediately disappeared when he realised that Staryu was headed right towards the Onix, which was exactly where he didn't want it. "Staryu, pull back!" He yelled, a sense of urgency in his voice. Unfortunately, the starfish's momentum carried it forwards, directly towards the rock snake that towered over it.

"Onix," Brock said, a hint of a smile on his face, "Tackle it." The Onix raised its head, preparing to attack its enemy - a tiny bug compared to its own massive size. The sight disturbed Ash very much. Unfortunately, he realised that it was probably unavoidable that Staryu would be caught in the attack due to his own lack of foresight. It would be better to just do as much damage as he could before Staryu could no longer do battle.

"Staryu, forget that! Hit it as hard as you can with Water Gun!" He yelled, desperately hoping that Staryu would have time to unleash its attack. From where it was currently, the starfish had a perfect angle to strike at the connection between Onix's head and the rest of its body, a well known weak spot. Unfortunately, there was nothing else he could do right now except watch and pray.

 _You'd better win this one, human_. Staryu said, communicating telepathically with its trainer. Ash didn't have time to respond before Onix slammed down on the Staryu, and a bellow of pain and rage echoed throughout the stadium. It didn't take long for Ash to realise what had happened. Just as the Onix had struck it, Staryu had unleashed a fully charged Water Gun at point-blank range, striking the giant rock snake right where it most definitely did not want to be struck.

Ash quickly returned Staryu to its Pokeball before it could get hurt even worse, and sent out his starter and ace, Honedge. The ghostly apparition floated in the air, its ribbon flapping in the wind, its blood red blade flashing in the bright lights of the gym. It looked every bit as powerful as it was.

 _Honedge_. Ash said, addressing his Pokemon telepathically. _Your opponent is faster and more agile than it looks. Try to dodge its attacks for now._ His Pokemon bobbed up and down in the air a bit - its way of nodding - and then turned its attention to its opponent.

"My, that's a fine specimen you've got there." Brock said, letting out a small whistle of appreciation. "This is the best Honedge I've ever seen, and by quite a large margin as well. I'd quite like one myself. Not that I've seen any other Honedge before. And shiny too? I wonder where you could have possibly acquired this pokemon."

"I'm not giving him to you." Ash immediately said, sounding every bit the overprotective parent. Of course, he regretted it immediately afterwards.

"Of course." Brock replied, hiding his amusement pretty well. "Now, let's put him to the test, shall we? Onix, dig." The giant rock snake bellowed, as if to acknowledge the order, before ramming its head into the floor of the gym and disappearing into the underground.

Normally, challengers weren't prepared for this move, and were thrown off by this unconventional attack. But Ash had done his homework, and he was prepared. He knew that Onix used the magnets in its head to keep itself on track while tunnelling. It also used the same magnets to keep track of its enemies above ground. All Ash had to do was throw off its internal compass, and he should be fine. Fortunately, he knew exactly what to do. ' _Honedge'_ , he said, with a devilish grin on his face,' _Autotomize, then use Iron Shadow.'_

The ghost made a rumbling sound, almost like laughter, and Brock was immediately wary. Brock could not tell what his young challenger was planning to do, but from the mirthful state of the Ghost/Steel type in said trainer's possession, he could tell it wouldn't be good. He looked back at the battlefield after a moment's thought, and then gasped as he realised what Ash was planning.

The ghostly sword had shed a layer of its blade, the discarded metal husk lying on the ground in the middle of the battlefield. Honedge did a little backflip in the air and phased out of the material realm. Onix, having locked onto Honedge's blade as a way to keep track of its enemy's movements, resurfaced with a roar, launching the discarded 'blade' into the air. The instant the rock snake resurfaced, Honedge appeared below the snake's head, directly in front of the small indent where the boulder that was its head was connected with the rest of its body. It glowed a metallic sheen, then jammed its blade into the crevice.

The Onix roared and began to trash around wildly, trying to dislodge the Ghost/Steel type. Honedge refused to be moved from its position, but the trashing of the giant snake threatened to slam Honedge into the ground, very hard, before long.

" _Honedge, get out of there."_ Ash commanded. " _When you're clear, use Metal Sound._ " The urgency of the order was not lost on Honedge, and it phased out of the material realm, reappearing a good five meters away from its adversary. The Onix stopped thrashing, turning around to face the little thing that had caused it so much pain.

Honedge did not allow Brock enough time to give an order, immediately releasing a loud, screeching sound from its blade. Brock and Ash both covered their ears in time, but Onix had nothing to cover its ears with. Seeing the Onix distracted, Honedge used its newfound speed to its advantage, slashing and stabbing at the Onix while it tried to regain its concentration.

" _Honedge, finish it._ " Ash commanded. The Onix seemed to be getting weaker, and now, while it was still trying to steady itself, would be as good an opportunity as any. Honedge manoeuvred itself into position, dodging the Onix's flailing tail, before using Iron Head once again. The aim was perfect, and the sword struck the rock snake at the exact same spot Staryu had hit with the Water Gun attack. Onix let out one last roar before collapsing onto the ground, almost crushing Honedge underneath it.

Ash smirked, gazing intently at Honedge, as if congratulating the ghost silently, or so Brock thought. "Very well Ash. I confer upon you the Boulder Badge, a symbol that is your first step towards the Pokemon League. Well done, you've definitely earned it," Brock said in an authoritative tone.

Ash simply nodded in response and left the gym. He had better things to do, and making idle conversation with Brock was not one of them. The revival of a fossil awaited him, and he could hardly hold his excitement in. Another teammate would be joining him soon. He was free for the rest of the day, as Leaf had told him that she would be practising her techniques in the forest to get some last minute preparation for the upcoming contest. The brightness of the afternoon sky assaulted his eyes, and at that moment he realised how dark the Pewter Gym really was. He paid it no mind, and continued walking towards the museum, with the fossil he had received from the Hoenn Champion being stored in his bag, inside a case that would prevent any damage to it from external factors. Leaving a fossil in the open was never a good idea, as the environment could adversely affect the genes within the fossil, and Ash did not want the Anorith that would soon be his teammate to have any genetic defects.

The sliding door opened, and Ash entered the museum. The receptionist told him the price of the tickets almost instantaneously, but he wordlessly showed her his pass. She was momentarily shocked, not expecting so young a person to be allowed access to a restricted section of the museum. However, she acquiesced, and led him to a door behind the counter, marked 'Staff Only.' Ash couldn't contain his glee. It was every child's dream to enter a room that was marked with that sign. Also, he was rather interested in the science behind reviving a fossil. Being something of a prodigy at many fields, including biology, he had a profound interest at how one could revive a fossil. The door was opened, and Ash was ushered inside. He gazed at his surroundings. It was obviously a science lab, with a clear, sterile feel to it.

A man immediately walked up to him, and beckoned him towards an odd looking machine. "We were expecting you, Ash Ketchum. Steven told us you'd be arriving here soon. Please place the fossil in question here," said the scientist. However, Ash knew that there was more to the man than that. It seemed that the nature of scientists would never change. All of them were rather bland. He did as instructed, and the claw fossil was encased in a glass dome. "Please avert your eyes now, there may be a slight flash," said the scientist in a matter-of-fact tone. Again, Ash did as he was told, and 5 minutes later, he looked back. In place of the fossil he had brought, a small bug-like pokemon with a rocky exterior. It looked extremely unsure of its surroundings, but that was to be expected, given its sudden revival after laying dormant in a fossil for hundreds of years.

In fact, Ash was rather surprised that Anorith was in such a good state. The scientist had reported that there weren't any genetic defects, and that itself was heartening to the young trainer. Fossils tended to be unpredictable. But that was obvious, seeing as they had been encased in ground for several millennia. Some eroded over time, and others were broken up as the drift that formed the Regions of the world occurred. It was reported that fossils, when they were first alive, were in fact around before the Regions formed. When the world was in one large piece, before all the other pokemon came to be. At that time, there were only those fossil pokemon, who lived alongside the legendaries that had created the world and them. However, after a huge asteroid had impacted the world, it had set in motion the extinction of the fossil pokemon. All of them were wiped out, but their remains became fossils, and were encased within rock, buried deep within the Earth's surface. As the regions were formed, the majority of fossils were broken up, or became part of the ground, but some still remained, in the more dangerous areas. This was all in a book Ash had read, published by none other than Steven Stone himself.

He was really lucky to have gained the Hoenn Champion's favour, seeing as Steven and his company held a monopoly in the archaeological field. This, essentially meant that they were the equivalent of Silph Co. in terms of power. Devon Co. had the only authority to excavate fossils, apart from a select few licensed private collectors who had to pay a ridiculous amount to procure the right to excavate fossils. He shook himself out his musings and walked forward. The Anorith scuttled towards him, as if it was curious as to who this new being was. The scientist had graciously moved out of the room, not wanting to interrupt the first meeting between trainer and pokemon. Ash smiled, and began to talk softly with the Anorith, not wanting to startle it. The little pokemon made an odd chirping noise, its natural cry if Ash was not mistaken. It curiously inched towards him, scuttling along on its little claws. Anorith looked so vulnerable at that moment that Ash could not help but soften in front of the fossil pokemon.

The fossil pokemon could not communicate via telepathy, as it did not have Psychic or Ghost type ancestry, unlike Ash's other teammates. However, the dual Bug and Rock type quickly wormed its way into Ash's heart. They spent a good half hour in the lab, simply conversing, and getting to know each other. Ash also had the wherewithal to introduce Anorith to the other team members. Honedge greeted the small fossil pokemon politely, already beginning to like Anorith.

Staryu was indifferent, simply spinning around in greeting. Ash had suspected as much, seeing as the species that Staryu belonged to did not appear to show emotion often. Strange that, but he knew that was the case with many genderless pokemon, barring legendaries. In fact, since they had no gender, most genderless pokemon simply did not care. This was another reason why they were so feared. Starmie, Magnezone and Metagross, all prime examples of genderless pokemon showed no emotion at all, on the field. It was what made them so ruthless, made them so powerful. Especially the latter, Metagross. Seeing as it was genderless, gaining the absolute trust of one was nigh impossible, as it simply could not process emotions. Hence, trainers like Steven who had this pokemon within their teams were revered as great masters of the art. Being able to deal with _any_ genderless pokemon required effort, and Ash realised that only with time could he gain the starfish pokemon's absolute trust.

At any rate, Anorith seemed quite happy to follow Ash. After being reintroduced into the world, the bug/rock type was rather eager to explore the world once more, and felt a kinship with the young boy. Anorith was content with battling alongside Ash, and hopefully, during the course of the journey, Anorith would finally achieve its dream. Anorith could not remember much of its past, only that he still retained the burning desire to evolve into an Armaldo, like his father and mother.

This had all been relayed to Ash through Honedge, who, after a conversation with the little fossil pokemon, quickly became friends with said pokemon. After all, Honedge also possessed the same ambition. Ash had simply smiled at the Anorith's conviction, and confidently told the pokemon that evolution would only be the first step in the greatness they could achieve as a team.

After the formalities were complete (paperwork needed to be submitted to the Indigo League Bureau in regards to the revival of Anorith), Ash left the lab with a spring in his step, three pokeballs on his belt. He needed to get some training in, after all. Night was still hours away, and Anorith needed to get accustomed to battling before they reached Cerulean City.

Since it was late afternoon, it looked like the whole region and it's uncle were out training. Trainers were all over the Route, most of them battling. Ash smirked and sprinted towards the Route connecting Pewter to Mt Moon. Immediately, he was challenged by a local youngster, and his streak of battles began.

For the next two hours, Ash battled it out with all the trainers in the area, with an unblemished record of wins. It seemed that while most of the trainers had some experience, they could not match Ash's skill in the art of battle. For the sake of training, Ash had called upon his Anorith to fight the trainers that challenged him, and the Bug/Rock type had really gained some experience. The little pokemon had just finished learning Water Gun, and had now progressed onto learning the slightly more complex move known as Metal Claw.. Luckily, Honedge had been kind enough to offer assistance in learning the aforementioned move, and Anorith was now at an acceptable level. However, it had sustained heavy injuries in the process, and Ash knew something was off. Something did not feel quite right, and the back of his well organised mind, he heard a distinct mutter. Were his training methods slightly off? He hadn't ever faced trainers who did this much damage to one of his team members, apart from Brock. He attributed it to luck, and dropped the notion.

As the sun set, Ash made his way back to Pewter. Leaf's Contest was tomorrow, and he did not want to make her worry about his location the night before. He tiredly walked into the Pokemon Centre and asked Nurse Joy to take his pokemon in for healing before heading upstairs to try and find Leaf. When he knocked on her door, there was no answer - apparently, she was still outside, training. Now that he no longer had anything left to do, he returned to his room and flopped onto his bed. He closed his eyes and lay there for some time, frustrated, as he was unable to sleep.

The quiet hours began, and the eerie quiet disturbed Ash. He found himself unable to get rest, and he checked the time. It was already midnight. Instead of going back to sleep, he decided to take a walk outside, so he could clear his head. He crept out of the centre, silently, and walked southwards, heading towards Viridian Forest. The forest had an aura of peace, and he knew that if he sought refuge there for the solace he desired, his wish would be granted. Ash was well and truly infatuated with the beauty of Viridian Forest, and he knew that he would at least enjoy his day if he paid another visit. The cold air was refreshing for him,and the shade allowed him to blend in amongst the shadows; the only place where he could truly feel at home.

And then one of the pokeballs on his belt opened with a flash. Without a sound, Honedge appeared from the capsule, evidently happy to be out. Ash smiled at the ghost, and without a word, the two companions reentered the forest. They decided to head towards the lake where Staryu used to live, and within an hour, they reached. It was surprisingly quicker reaching one place from another without having another person hold you back. The water was clear, as usual, and Ash decided to let his other two team members out. Anorith and Staryu looked equally happy at being let out, the latter more so, seeing as they were back at its home. The feeling of joy that Staryu conveyed through their link made Ash smile. As for Anorith, the little pokemon scuttled around, making odd chirping noises and bumping into everything in sight. The Bug/Rock type pokemon was truly happy to be let outside its ball, and it seemed to hold an avid curiosity for everything. Such behaviour was expected, or so Ash read in a thesis by Steven himself, as the fossil pokemon had been in the ground for so long that they were unaccustomed to the world they had been revived in.

Ash was only too happy to indulge in that curiosity. He valued it so much, seeing as that had been the force that drove him as a child, to become the person he was today. Since a child, he had been faced with odds stacked against him; everyone hated him for how he was quiet, how he was _different._ But Ash knew, in his mind that he was _special_. He had trained with Honedge for so long, enduring the pain of defeat and rising stronger than ever. He had done enough to make sure his starter was on the path to be nigh unbeatable, as his dreams would only allow him to set those kind of expectations.

 _That_ was when Ash had an _epiphany_.

 _Was it all for naught?_

All the hours spent training, preparing, working hard towards an endgoal, had it really been for nothing? He had fallen from grace, from the master he was training to be, to an average trainer who had some decent battle strategy. His desire to go further had started to diminish as he began his journey, and his pokemon had suffered as a result. He had not put in the hours required for training, had not continued with his strict regimen.

That was beginning to show. Against the likes of even Brock, Ash had barely won, and that was _very_ unacceptable. He should have had no problems with Brock at all, and yet… his Staryu had fainted. This was against the team he used for newbie trainers. He could have… he should have won comfortably and yet… he didn't. He won, only because of Honedge, who had been a part of his original drive to do more. It would only get worse as the gyms continued to get progressively harder. He _had_ to get the motivation back. Hard work and dedication were concepts he was familiar with.

"I'm sorry everyone,"Ash said aloud , seemingly from out of nowhere to his team. "I haven't been training you enough, and as a result, we have all suffered. Staryu, you could have won against Onix without trouble, and yet you fainted. Hell, Anorith suffered so many injuries from the trainer battles he fought yesterday," he said, in a depressed tone.

His pokemon all exclaimed in shock. Their trainer was feeling sad for not training them enough? Honedge conveyed the group's feelings to his trainer with a telepathic nod of determination. And that broke the brief spell of insecurity Ash had just felt. Just like that, all of the young boy's thoughts were swept away, by the single-minded determination of his team. He and his pokemon would continue training. Being the best required suffering and pain after all. Honedge, Staryu and Anorith would endure the fires of hell with him, until they came out stronger for it.

He would not make the same mistake again. His eyes hardened, and he began putting Honedge, Anorith and Staryu into complicated drills, training them to the very core. They needed to know true _pain_ before they tasted the sweetness of victory. Ash could not, would not settle for mere mediocrity. His desire to become the best was enough to push him forward. He would annihilate the pokemon world, and show them _all._ He would never rely on dumb luck again, and true skill would aid him in his quest to surpass all others.

He had a dream. One he desperately wanted to achieve, and the way he had started left _much_ to be desired if he wished to reach his goal.

After this moment of inner turmoil passed, all was normal once again. But something had changed within Ash. Something important. His team could see it, he could see it. For ambition is nothing without discipline, and after facing the cold, hard truth, Ash knew this to be certain. This motto would be his anthem throughout his career as a trainer, or so he decided that day.

All was well, except one, crucial point. In all this self reflection, Ash had neglected to remember the time. When he felt the sweltering heat on him, he knew something was off. He checked his multifunctional pokedex and swore. It was midday. Leaf's Contest had finished several hours ago, and he was very, very dead. But he did not know how much damage he had truly wrought by not attending.

He arrived at Pewter City, and asked Nurse Joy about the whereabouts of Leaf. She simply replied that Leaf had left already, but had left a note for him in lieu of talking to him in person. The boy winced, and opened the letter. After surveying the portents, he let out a sigh. Leaf had been impacted by him not attending. Ever since a child, her dream was to travel around the region with friends. And it appeared that she did not need him anymore. The letter told him in implicit terms that she would be travelling with a couple of other friends who were also Co-ordinators she had met at the Pewter Contest, and that they might see each other sometime in the future.

There was no farewell.

Ash's heart clenched and then, in the privacy of his room, the floodgates opened at last. His only friend had left him for people she had just met. And it was his fault. A lone tear fell down his cheek, and then he composed himself. Using the meditation techniques he developed for so long, he calmed himself. His teammates comforted him the way any pokemon could, and he realised that many things had changed that day. He didn't need _friends_. The path to greatness was lonely, and he would travel it alone. It had been his fault for not supporting her when she had supported him, and he would loathe himself every day for not attending that one Contest that meant so much to her.

He would not forgive. But he would not forget. Ash Ketchum left Pewter City with a heavy heart and a resolve of steel. He had learnt much, and there was only more he could learn about the mysteries of life.

 **A/N 2: Sorry if this chapter seems slightly amateur. Leaf's departure is a bit unexpected, but we'll see more of her as the story progresses. She'll still be a supporting character, maybe not so much a protagonist now, but her sudden disappearance will impact our favourite trainer quite severely, and as a result he'll only get stronger. Anorith is revived, and Brock has been defeated. Ash also has an epiphany about his motivations, and questions them thoroughly. This is very important for his development, as it is true that ambition is nothing without discipline, and Ash will be a Master now that he has resumed his discipline once again. Seriously, just beating trainers only leaves a person and his team mediocre, at least in my opinion. Dedication is important, and Ash learns this in this chapter.**

 **Please R &R and also please PM me if you're interested in being a beta. I know my grammar isn't perfect, but hopefully I can have less errors and more ideas with a beta. Thanks! ^-^**

 **\- Dhram.**


	5. Chapter 5: Of Tension and Malevolence

And, after a _long_ break, here's the next chapter of Divergence! Enjoy!

Having already cleared out the Mt Moon area, making sure all the trainers had gone back home crying, Ash moved onwards. The cave beckoned to him, and he was _very_ interested as to what other secrets Mt. Moon held. There seemed to be many things to see inside the mountain cavern, and Ash's sense of adventure perked up at the prospect of going and experiencing the many wonders of the ancient expanse of sedimentary rock.

The history of Mt. Moon was something many scientists debated on. It was largely agreed that the cave had been formed due to regional drift; a largely significant event in ancient history. The asteroid that had come from space, containing the alien pokemon Deoxys had wiped out all the fossil pokemon with a single burst of psychic energy. The pokemon had been considered legendary since; wiping out the entire population of pokemon was no mean feat, especially with one single attack. This knowledge had only been discovered by a theoretical physicist at the Mossdeep Space Institute, and published in his most recent paper, about a year ago. That paper also included, surprisingly, a rant about how annoying he biologist he worked together with was. Teamwork was boring, after all. Anyways, the asteroid had impacted the Kanto Region at approximately the coordinates of Mt Moon, and as a result, a crater had formed. Over time, the crater had been filled with layers of sedimentary rock, thus forming the cavern. Hence, the plentiful supply of fossils. But over time, most had sunk into the ground, making fossils at the surface a rarity. The Anorith Ash currently had inside one of his pokeballs was the last remnant of a once mighty race of pokemon.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Ash entered the cave for the second time that day. It was surprisingly more noisy now, but he surmised that that was because the trainers had finally entered the cave. But he was not affected by it, simply walking past them without them noticing. They were weak. He did not need to fight them, because they would not pose any challenge. No, his objective was the deeper passages. There were stronger trainers near Cerulean, and he wanted to to reach there as quickly as time would allow him.

After carefully climbing down the Ranger Association's ladders, he reached the entrance to the lower passage. This particular area of the cave was known for the overabundance of the pokemon species known as Paras. The spores that the mushrooms on the head's of these crustacean like pokemon gave off were actually healthy ones. They kept crops alive. As a result, the Kanto agriculture division had invested in hydroponics within that area. As a result, Mt Moon could now grow food products, which was then transported to Pewter, Cerulean, and even as far south as Pallet. The food was then sold to shops who supplied consumers with essential vegetables and fruits that would not have been found in the nearby vicinity. This was another example of how the world had evolved.

The cave he was in was no different from the ones he had previously passed, except for the fact that there were hardly any trainers here. Plants were growing along the side path, in an orderly line that seemed to be for the benefit of passing trainers. No one liked walking through foliage, after all. Seemingly unconcerned by it all, Ash continued walking down the winding path, which lead to the exit, that was still yet to be seen, but Ash knew that in about an hour or so, he would reach it.

That was when he heard the voices.

He paused, not wanting to be heard. Slowly, he bent down and pressed his head against the wall of the cavern. He could hear them, increasing in volume. He diverted his focus towards a sidepath he had not noticed before. It was out of his way, but curiosity overtook his usual self preservation instincts, and he wouldn't let his impatience to get to the next city overtake his gut feeling that something was amiss. He was not getting a good feeling, and his feelings were almost always accurate.

He proceeded towards the sidepath, and with a seething glare at the insignia of the Pokemon Rangers, he went down the ladder. He hated their ladders. They were useful, obviously, but they gave him rope burn. He made a note to purchase a sturdy pair of gloves once he reached Cerulean; adventuring made his hands sore. While deep in his thoughts, he did not notice that the ladder had come to an end.

Cursing, he lost his balance, and fell with a thud onto the rocky floor. Thankfully, no one had heard. He wasn't sure who the voices belonged to, but it could not be a good sign. No one ventured so deep into the caves. Slowly, he tiptoed forward. The ground was slightly slippery, but he was good at remaining balanced; his years of gruelling exercise had not been for nothing. And then he heard them again.

The voices.

They were more distinct this time, and he could just barely make out what they were saying. "-Moon Shard, gotta get it to the boss," was the only audible phrase he could discern. But he knew what that implied. Someone, or more than one person had come to find the fabled Moon Shard. That was a treasure coveted by many explorers, but said to have been lost for several decades. A research team had been sent to the cavern some time ago to find it, but nothing had been found.

The reason this object was so valuable, was because within it was the power of the Moon, as it had been the first asteroid to fall onto the Kanto Region, the one that rendered all the fossil Pokemon extinct. It had supposedly sunk into the ground of Mt. Moon, but evidently that was not the case, because the voice had been confident that they had found it. A grim determination overtook Ash's hesitance to act. What these people were doing seemed to be against the laws of the region, and while he was no paragon of virtue himself, he would not let something so valuable leave the mountain cave. After all, he could also benefit from taking a piece of the Moon Shard for himself. It _was_ said to have the power of the Moon, and that could only mean that it had the same properties of a Moon Stone. In fact, from the data Ash had gathered in his youth, the Moon Stone had the same origins as this supposedly mythical asteroid. If that was the case, then this little side venture would be even more profitable for him.

At that thought, he smirked. He moved with purpose, though his footsteps were light. He began making his way towards the source of the voices, keeping in the shadows. As he neared, he began to see the lights cast by a sort of lamp, illuminating the figures of two adult men in rather strange looking uniforms.

Ash's eyes widened when he made out the large orange 'R' on their jackets, the symbol of Team Rocket. He had heard many tales about this group and their many exploits in his youth, but this was the first time he had ever actually _seen_ one of them. But what he was _really_ interested in, more so than those two and their uniforms, was the source of the light. He had assumed it was a lamp before, but now that he got a closer look, it was obviously some sort of gem that was giving off the ghostly white light.

The moon shard.

Besides the two men floated two Pokemon, a Zubat and a round shape that was probably a Koffing. As he examined the two of them, Ash's confidence grew. Those were weak Pokemon, hardly capable of putting up a decent fight against his battle-hardened team. His grin became predatory. He would not lose. He would not allow it. He stopped, for a moment to ponder his available options. There was always the possibility that the grunts had deliberately kept from evolving to prey on trainers like him, but they probably weren't that smart. This was the perfect opportunity for him to snag that glowing shard for himself. Its powers were fabled to be beyond compare, and Ash knew that it had the potential to be great. He would not let such an object slip past his grasp.

 _Honedge,_ Ash thought, communicating telepathically with his partner and barely keeping a devious grin from showing on his face. _I want you to scare the living daylights out of them_. He swore he heard the ghostly sword give an evil-sounding chuckle.

Suddenly, the shadows around the two men, presumably grunts, came to life, writhing around like the tentacles of some octopus. They seemed to not notice this at first, but when they did, the grunts, understandably, freaked out.

"Holy mother of Arceus, what is that?" the first one yelled, in a high pitched voice hardly becoming of a member of a terrorist organisation. He sprang away from the shadows, dropping the Moon Shard in the process.

Ash's eyes flashed as he saw an opportunity. _Honedge,_ he said, failing to keep the excitement out of his voice, _grab that shard for me_. His partner responded immediately, and in a sudden flurry of movement, the ghostly sword reappeared in front of him, the shard safely tucked away in its ribbon. Ash reached out and took it, stuffing it into his pockets.

 _Honedge, Staryu,_ Ash commanded, keeping his eyes fixed on the two panicking grunts, _take out those two Pokemon with Shock Wave and Confusion_.

The two of them executed his command perfectly. Honedge's blade glowed a bright yellow as he discharged a bolt of electricity, hitting the Zubat on its side and sending it tumbling onto the floor, unconscious. Staryu's gem flashed a purplish colour as it activated its psychic powers, picking up the Koffing and slamming it into the cave wall.

"Anorith, use Water Gun to knock those two out." Ash commanded, pointing a finger at the two grunts. His newest team member obeyed, and two blasts of water were blasted at the grunts, hitting them both in the chest and knocking them onto the floor. The entire affair was over in a matter of seconds. It was almost a bit too easy, considering the fact that his opponents were members of a famed evil organisation.

Now that the immediate threat had been removed, Ash began to wonder if he had just gotten himself into serious trouble. There was no way an organisation as powerful as Team Rocket would send only two grunts to fetch such an important item. In fact, he would have been surprised if they hadn't sent one of their more powerful members along with at least twenty grunts.

This meant that he was now in a cavern a good distance underground, which was filled with members of team rocket - all grown men who would not hesitate to kill. While he might be able to fight off a grunt, there was probably a vastly more powerful executive to oversee the work of these essentially expendable grunts. And he had just pissed them all off by knocking out two of their comrades and stealing the very item they had come here for. It meant that, if he didn't get out of here quickly, he could be in real trouble.

He decided to throw caution to the winds and get out of Mount Moon before the other grunts found out about this instant. Using the Moon Shard as a torch, he hurried back down the path he had come, silently. He climbed up the ladder rather hastily, worried that he would encounter the 'big boss' that his logic had concluded would be here. At a faster pace, he continued down the dark path, ready to bolt as soon as he saw the distinct black uniform of Team Rocket.

He was confident of his abilities, yes, but even he didn't have a death wish.

Within an hour or so, he could see the end of the tunnel, and he walked towards it, silently wiping the perspiration off his forehead. And then he heard it.

A crash sounded nearby.

Ash ran.

Laughter could be heard.

Ash ran faster.

He had just a few hundred metres to go, he would make it, he could get out, he could-

As if summoned from the Reverse World himself, a man, garbed in a black suit, with purple hair laughed manically, appeared in his way, blocking the exit. Ash immediately recognised him. For, who else could have that sinister laugh than Petrel, one of the wanted Executives of Team Rocket? He had been held in solitary confinement for years, and had escaped not too long ago. They were still searching for him.

Before Ash could even contemplate how utterly screwed he was, 8 grunts appeared, almost as if there was a script for the horror show to follow.

"So, _boy_ , thought you could take the Moon Shard, eh?" Petrel yelled, his voice doing a good job of showing just how questionable his sanity was. "Thought you could get away from us? YOU WERE WRONG! PETREL ALWAYS WINS!"

And then, the previously knocked out grunts came running towards the Executive before Ash could respond. They looked like they were begging for forgiveness.

Petrel giggled. In the blink of an eye, a Crobat had been summoned out of a pokeball on the Executive's belt.

"Crobat," he continued, pointing at the two grunts, his smile starting to twitch in a way that Ash felt shouldn't be possible, his voice filled with malice. "Punish them for their incompetence.'

The bat Pokemon, who seemed more than happy to oblige, cut through the air like a shuriken, crossing the distance between itself and the two grunts in a split second. In a flurry of movement, both men screamed in pain and fell to the grunt, each clutching their right arm, which had sustained some very deep lacerations.

Petrel laughed even louder, and licked his lips. Whatever doubts Ash had about this man's sanity were confirmed in this very instant.

"Hm..." the man said to himself, putting on an exaggerated thoughtful expression, complete with an eye-roll. "Ariana didn't tell me to kill anyone, but I'm sure nobody would notice if I just sliced him up a bit… Yes, what a brilliant idea..."

Ash's face turned even grimmer than it already was as he realised what exactly was in store for him if he didn't manage to get out of this. There was no need to respond, and he used those precious few seconds to reach for his Pokeballs - his only chance at survival - only to realise his team was already outside the confines of those spheres and ready to fight..

' _You DARE harm Friend-trainer! You will hang for this offence. Come, friend. Let us cleave this fiend in two,'_ told an enraged Honedge.

The rest of his team stood ready. Staryu had already begun floating and shooting bursts of Swift at the rest of the grunts, all of whom had not had the wits to call out their own pokemon, too horrified at watching their comrades be brutally murdered. Anorith, while not as powerful as Ash's other two team members had also gotten in battle stance and was busy charging a pressurised blast of water; Water Gun.

"Oho~ You're actually going to fight? Yay~ Time to kill you dead~" Petrel sang in a high pitched voice. "Kill him Crobat~ Make him _suffer_ ," was the next thing he said.

"Honedge, Iron Head," Ash whispered, already feeling a creeping feeling of fear entering his chest. This was a Rocket Executive after all. And he didn't seem to be too in control of his own sanity, by the looks of it.

"Heh~ Crobat, Crunch. Destroy that ghost, pronto~" exclaimed Petrel in a faux happy-go-lucky voice.

Ash wasn't fooled. He already had doubts about the man's sanity, and he would not be letting down his guard. He and Honedge would take Petrel down, while his other team members held off the grunts. A simple but effective plan.

" Evade and proceed with the attack, Honedge," Ash commanded, slightly quicker this time. He would not be intimidated by that monster of a creature.

Honedge's attack connected, but it did little more that annoy the Crobat. It snarled, and then began flying at unimaginable speeds. Honedge could do little more than stare as it was viciously slammed into on every side by a Crobat that seemed as if it were testing the sound barrier.

And then the bat finally sunk it's teeth into Honedge. The ghost screamed in pain, mentally. The teeth had been infused with the telltale dark aura that using the move Crunch came with. And that was especially harmful to those of the Ghost type, seeing as it directly contradicted their existence, and felt just _wrong_ to the point where it could cause a severe mental breakdown in a ghost's psyche if exposed to said dark energies for too long.

Luckily, Honedge was no mere wild pokemon. The bat was fended off by an infuriated Honedge, who used his blade to slam the bat backwards, a telltale metallic sheen on said blade indicating the attack Iron Head coming into play.

"Honedge, no! Keep up the offense. Let's finish this bat. Shock Wave," Ash told his partner in arms coldly, staring at the ensuing battle nonchalantly, not wanting to give an inch to the vile man opposite him who was closely observing his reactions, watching, waiting for the slightest sign of fear.

Honedge rumbled in assent, and began launching precisely directed Shock Wave attacks at Crobat. Only one of the lethal electric type attacks connected, but that was enough to deal a heavy amount of damage to the bat, who reared back, struck. However, the purple bat did not succumb to the pain, and rose up again, ready to fight.

Its trainer, Petrel had not been remaining idle. In fact, his inaction was largely due to the fact that he wished to gain an understanding of Ash's tactics. However, that inaction would not last. With a poorly concealed laugh, he whistled, and screamed, "Crobat, maneuver three! Show that kid who's boss~ Honedge is a rare Pokemon, maybe I can bring it in for lab testing~ Yay~ I've never had a ghost before, wonder how long it'll take before it DIES~"

Crobat circled the battlefield in the blink of an eye, and then screamed and hurled itself headfirst at Honedge, its body enshrouded in the hint of zephyr blue that was attributed to the flying type energy needed for the move known as Brave Bird. This move, while not exactly effective on the Ghost/Steel typing that made up Honedge, still did a massive amount of damage when it connected. The collision slammed Honedge into a wall, something Petrel had been hoping for since the beginning of the battle. The uniquely coloured Honedge rumbled, in obvious distress.

The move had been fatal. After all, in a battle that had been unfair from the start, Honedge, the first evolution could never have won against a fully evolved pokemon like Crobat.

Ash watched, helpless.

He struggled to hide his own pain at his partner being so brutally assaulted. He did not show it, but deep down there, inside, he knew that he was too weak to win this battle. He knew that in the dark recesses of Mount Moon, his team and he would die.

'For so long…. I've wanted to go on this journey. It seems like I never should have gone… I'm sorry… Honedge… Staryu… Anorith… Looks like I was just a child with delusions of grandeur after all'.

He looked down, prepared to order Honedge to cease fighting, if only to spare his starter the pain.

He had lost.

And then, when all hope seemed lost, when defeat seemed imminent, he heard a voice in his head. A kind voice, a familiar voice, one that had always instilled warmth and happiness within his cold heart. The voice of none other than his trusty comrade, his brother in arms. Honedge.

'Do not give in, Ash. We believe in you. We all do. I've been with you since the beginning, and I know you will not let such a hindrance set you back from your dreams. We can win this bout, our will is stronger than theirs, tenfold.'

From the darkest recesses of his mind, Ash saw a light.

He grasped it.

Victory was imminent. He donned his trademark smirk again, and began to issue the commands that would let him seize it.

"Heh, Petrel. You've underestimated me. I won't hold back anymore. Honedge! Staryu! Anorith! Let's finish this overgrown bat now! Water Gun, Swift, and Shock Wave, at once," ash roared.

His spirit had returned, and it was stronger, and the flame that kept him going, kept his team going had ignited once more.

Anorith and Staryu, having subdued the weak Grunts, attacked along with Honedge in unison. Three blasts, one with grey streaks, one a fluorescent yellow hue and one coloured with an azure hue were released from their respective users, powered by the fiery passion of their trainer, along with all their might, and culminated as one.

Crobat never had a chance.

The blasts all hit their intended target, and the bat, stricken with awe at the bond between trainer and pokemon being displayed, did not move in time to escape. Petrel watched hopelessly as his Crobat, the pokemon that had taken the lives of so many trainers, fell to the ground, in a dead faint.

He glanced at the Crobat for a second, and then grinned.

" Crobat, you were weak. You LOST because YOU. WERE. WEAK. Oh, I'm trembling right now. My whole body trembles at the SIGHT OF YOUR WEAKNESS~ GO! RHYPERIOR, use ROCK WRECKER, crush that insignificant bat once and for all," Petrel screamed in a voice that indicated rage and insanity.

His whole body shook wildly, and he threw another pokeball, containing the Rock/Ground type behemoth he apparently owned. Said pokemon roared upon appearing, and immediately did what his trainer asked of him.

Crobat, who had fallen to the floor was buried under a pile of rocks. The bat pokemon would never get up again.

The moment Ash had seen Petrel's state, and the gargantuan pokemon that was Rhyperior, he knew he had no chance against this deadly pokemon, this titan that embodied every aspect that Rock Types held dear.

He recalled his team and snuck into the shadows, desperate, and hoping against all odds that he would reach the exit of the cavern.

He did.

His carefully put together plan, of making Petrel move around, so that the path to the exit would remain clear had not been for naught. Somehow, he knew the man would not follow. His mental state was too precarious for that. Also, Ash had a distinct feeling that, however jaded his pursuer's view on life was, he would not displease his higher ups by compromising Team Rocket's operations.

After he emerged, panting and scared from his experiences within the cavern, he ran. He ran past the quaint countryside and beautiful trees of Route 4. It was hard to appreciate the scenery when there was the potential for a psychotic mass murderer to be chasing you.

After about an hour of non stop running, Ash finally relaxed, looking back behind him anxiously, and then succumbing to exhaustion, upon realising that he was not being pursued.

His experience in the deepest levels of the cavern would never be forgotten. He had, for the first time, nearly lost his life on his journey, and that was all due to his reckless and naivete. He knew Petrel had been holding back, underestimating him. If he had brought his Rhyperior out at the beginning, Ash would have definitely lost everything he held dear.

Only one thing remained for him to do.

He called all his battered, tired team members out. Honedge, Anorith and Staryu all observed him, waiting for him to speak.

"We must get stronger. All of us," he told them all, and with that, he recalled them, slung his bag properly around his shoulder, and headed for the entrance to Cerulean City, not realising that, for the first time in his life, he had been _scared._

He did not know that his nightmares were about to begin

Okay, even I'm not _that_ cruel XD let's keep going

He arrived in Cerulean to watch the sunset. It was beautiful. The sky was vast, and with it came the beautiful teal hue of the evening. Day was descending into night, and nothing could compare with it.

Using the multifunctional Pokedex his mentor, Professor Oak's aide, had given him, he quickly took a photograph, before walking down to the city centre where the Pokemon Centre resided. He walked in, with a blank expression, and upon reaching the counter, he handed his pokeballs to the Nurse Joy on duty, informed her curtly of the situation, and then turned on his heel, desperate to rest, after what had been the most traumatic experience of his life thus far.

He woke up the next morning, bright and early, ready to face the challenges of the day. After going about his everyday ablutions, he walked down the stairwell at a sedate pace, heading towards the counter. After exchanging the customary greetings with a tired Nurse Joy, he took his pokemon from her, who had all healed quickly from the adventures within the treacherous mountain cavern that they had traversed through.

He headed outside the Pokemon Centre, prepared for a day of arduous training. It was time to put his newfound inspiration to work hard into use. After finding a secluded area in the large, winding road that was Route 4, he got to work. His research during his formative years, had led him to eventually happening upon the biographies of all the gym leaders. That said, he was very well acquainted to the fact that there was Gym in Cerulean, run by the Water type trainer Misty, an individual who had been rumoured to have the strongest Water Type pokemon in Kanto, setting aside Elite Four Lorelei's dual Ice/Water types. Of course, she would not use her strongest team against a trainer with only a single badge, however, Ash knew that if he wanted to gain an expert opinion on how he should go about training his Staryu, a pokemon she was very familiar with raising (It being her starter), she would be able to tell him how to let Staryu achieve his own full potential.

That, however, would have to wait. First came the daily training regimen, that he put all his team through. Honedge was well adjusted to this routine, however, Staryu and Anorith were still not as accustomed to it.

For the Gym battle ahead, Ash knew it would be tough. Misty often challenged trainers with a single badge to 3 on 3 battles, as she viewed it as a true indicator of a trainer's ability to treat all their pokemon equally, and train them all to be of a similar standard.

Ash knew that Anorith needed to train a lot more before he would be ready for a Gym battle, and therefore, the rest of the day was spent there, training.

Anorith had been working on his agility and general accuracy of his special attacks, such as Water Gun, while also dedicating a large amount of time to perfecting his moves in close combat scenarios, e.g Metal Claw. This was done by using a medium to swipe with his claw, so that over time, his claws would become hardened and stronger, thus increasing the strength and potency of the Steel typed attack. On the other hand, Staryu, who had long since overcome any trust issues with his trainer, was working directly with Ash on learning some new moves. Ash would not reveal them until his new gym battle, hoping for them to be a trump card for endangered the starfish pokemon. And of course, his starter was as hardworking as ever. Truthfully, Honedge did not have that much to learn. His year of training before Ash's journey had begun had ensured that the Ghost/Steel type had full mastery of his moveset, and his abilities were very sound. All that remained was his highly anticipated evolution into the dual sword pokemon, Doublade. Then, and only then, would Honedge truly be able to make more progress. This however, required time and honing of his current skills, two things both trainer and pokemon were both happy to commit to. Honedge's time would come, and every day, the more he trained, the closer he would get to evolution.

After a day's hard work, Ash deemed his pokemon to be at an acceptable level, and sought to return to Cerulean for some well deserved rest, before clearing out the Route beyond the next day. He would do so first, before attempting to challenge the Cerulean Gym, as the training and experience that he hoped his pokemon would get from battling there would be more than enough to win.

He did so, and another day was over.

Tomorrow, more challenges awaited him.

He woke up the next day, earlier than the first. Unlike most trainers his age, thanks to his mother's constant lectures, he knew that getting up early would only lead to better results, as the saying goes. After a hurried breakfast, he left his temporary lodgings within the Pokemon Centre at a heightened pace, brimming in anticipation for the battles to come. It seemed like not too many people had gotten up, as the city of Cerulean seemed abandoned, with the morning breeze slightly buffeting Ash. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and he began his usual daily exercises, without calling out his pokemon. This was his time to reflect on the day before, and plan for the day ahead.

After a quick run around the empty city square to energise himself, he headed to the PokeMart. Luckily, they had just opened and he went inside, to stock up on some merchandise. The clerk was surprised to see a trainer as young as him enter so early, but Ash paid him no mind. There were, after all, more important things to do than wonder why people acted the way they did. It appeared that for all his mother's efforts to make him open up to others, it had not paid off.

'The one friend I had ditched me within a week,' Ash thought to himself, bitterly. His journey had not exactly gotten off to a good start, what with Leaf leaving him and his traumatic encounter with Petrel in Mt. Moon. However, Ash knew that things could only get better from then on, and shook himself out of his inner musings.

After purchasing enough supplies to last him until Vermillion, which was where he would head next, after obtaining the Cerulean Gym Badge, he exited the store, and headed for Route 4. It had already become sunny, and at last, the residents of Cerulean began coming out of their houses and going about their daily jobs. As Ash ventured closer to Route 4, he read about the aforementioned Route on his Pokedex, which had a map function installed as well. Apparently there was a landmark, a bridge that connected Cerulean to Route 4, and it was coloured gold. His eyes widened slightly when he came to the sudden realisation that an expert Pokemon Researcher also lived on Route 4, in a house near the Cape. 'Well then, this just makes the trip more worth it,' Ash thought to himself. He donned his black cap, the one Leaf had gifted him at the beginning of the journey, the one autographed by Lance himself. It seemed like he had work to do.

After about 30 minutes of light walking, he made it to the Nugget Bridge. What he did not expect, however, was to be screamed at by a loud youngster. After controlling his rising temper, he listened carefully to what the boy had to say. Apparently, there was a challenge, which was that if Ash was to defeat the five trainers registered on the bridge, he would win a special prize. Ash smirked, and grabbed Anorith's pokeball. This would be a perfect time to test what Anorith had learnt.

It turned out that the battles were easy, seeing as the trainers were all quite amateur. There was one trainer with a Mankey that posed a slight challenge, however, not enough to seriously wind Anorith, who remained stoic and energetic throughout, pummeling through his opponents with the ferocity that all known fossil pokemon were proven to retain as a part of their genetic makeup. However, that did not prepare Ash for the last trainer he had to face. The moment he saw said trainer's face, he knew something was off. He could _feel_ it. He was only proven correct, when the trainer attempted to recruit him.

After he beat the trainer, who did not pose too much of a challenge in the end, the man told him in a subdued, quiet voice,"How would you like to join Team Rocket? We're a group of specialised criminals designed to steal people's pokemon. With your skills, you could go far, maybe even become an admin."

Ash stared at the man, and instantly, he began thinking of his time in Mount Moon. The pain. The hopelessness. The warped, sick mind of Petrel. Almost dying.

He stared at the man with renewed intensity, wordlessly throwing out Honedge's pokeball.

"Crush him, Honedge. He's Team Rocket," were his only commands.

Honedge rumbled in anger, and gained the telltale metallic sheen of Iron Head. The Grunt was sent flying, and into the water under the Nugget Bridge. He was promptly then arrested by the Cerulean Police, who received an anonymous message from Ash that informed them of the situation. The Grunt's clothes were a clear enough indication of his allegiance, and he was put under life sentence.

Ash continued on his way, battling trainer after trainer on the winding path that was Route 24. This was the path to the famous Cape of Cerulean, as well as the way to Pokemon Researcher Bill's house.

After about an hour of fighting the trainers that had also decided to come train on the bleak, overcast day that it was, Ash finally arrived at the quaint little cottage by the sea, that was Bill's home. He frowned a bit, wondering if Bill would truly mind the intrusion on his privacy.

However, Ash did not give it a second thought, and rang the doorbell. If he was turned away, at least he had tried, after all. Oddly enough, there was no answer. He tried again.

No answer.

He tried to open the door, and surprisingly, it was not locked. He entered the lab and observed his surroundings. There was a messy, worn looking desk, and a man sitting on a chair, looking at a computer monitor on said desk in abject boredom. But Ash looked again, more closely. The man was actually, in fact, sleeping. Ash approached the brown haired man, and took a cursory glance around the house cum lab. All sorts of complicated equipment were functioning around the house, and Ash could see photos of many species of pokemon littering his monitor. Specifically, the fossil pokemon. Ash assumed that that was Bill's current research topic, if his monitor was anything to go by.

He gently told the man to wake up, as he wanted to at least try to converse with the man before leaving Cerulean. This was too good an opportunity to miss, and Ash would at least attempt to talk to the man. The man did not stir. Seeing no other option, Ash prodded the man with his finger, and in the blink of an eye, the man jolted awake.

"Huh...wha…..Gavin?! Is that you….Oh wait, Gavin left last month….. WAIT! If you're not Gavin, who are you?!" Bill exclaimed, rubbing his eyes from sleepiness.

Ash was at a loss for words. "...Who's Gavin? I'm Ash, sir, Ash Ketchum. I'm a great fan of your research, and have read many of your papers myself, especially the ones on the potential of the newly discovered Fairy Type," Ash finally managed to say.

"Oho…. so… a fan! Well then, child, I shall dazzle you with the GLORY of POKEMON RESEARCH! Gaze in awe at my collection," Bill exclaimed in a loud, boisterous voice.

After facepalming mentally, Ash spent 2 hours looking through Bill's collection, with permission from the man himself. The man had documented several previously unknown pokemon, and had even submitted a report of an abnormally sized Dragonite he found on the shore of the small inlet near his house, who apparently lived in the oceans of uncharted territories, areas that no Region had begun to explore. Bill, after realising Ash's interest in learning more about pokemon, only became more excited, giving commentary and spouting off interesting facts about pokemon as time went on.

Ash looked at the time. It had been 4 hours since he had entered Bill's house, and he realised that he had become hungry. Bill, noticing this, requested Ash to have lunch with him, feeling a sense of kinship with the young boy, remembering his own days as a trainer.

Ash happily agreed, showing the first signs of emotion since the Mt. Moon incident, and motioned for his team to eat. After Bill's initial surprise and eager exclamations at the sight of Honedge, they had a sumptuous meal, after which Ash informed Bill that it was time for him to go.

"It was good of you to come by, Ash, you're welcome here anytime. It's quite refreshing to meet young people these days who still care about Pokemon Research. I'm glad I was able to give you some of my knowledge. Good luck with being a trainer," Bill told him in a kindhearted manner.

"It was nice of you to let me learn from you, sir. I hope that I can visit in the future to learn more, I'll definitely try," replied Ash.

He opened the door, and left the house at a sedate, walking pace, wanting to see the Cerulean Cape before it became dark. It was only 3, and there was still time to observe the sights before venturing back to the city proper for his imminent Gym Battle. After all, the journey was not only about battling, but about seeing the world as well.

But before he could go too far, the door to Bill's house burst open, and he ran frantically towards Ash.

"Waaaaiiiittttttt! Assssshhh! Wait up!" Bill shouted.

Ash paused for a second, and waited, wondering why Bill could be chasing after him. After the man finally caught up to him, Ash gave the man a few seconds to catch his breath.

"I was going to give this to you at the lab, but I kinda sorta forgot," Bill said excitedly. He took a pokeball out of his pocket, and showed it to Ash. "This pokeball contains a decidedly rare pokemon known as Eevee. I got it from a trip to Celadon, where I found her scrounging for food under a rubbish bin. She has been _quite_ bored at my place, so I thought it would be best for a trainer like you to take her with you. She has quite the fighter's spirit, I assure you," he told Ash in an enthusiastic manner.

Without a word, Ash carefully took the pokeball from Bill's hand, and called out the pokemon within.

A small, brown fox-like pokemon emerged, crying out its own name. It had a canine like look, however, it had a white tuft of hair on its tail. It yiffed for a second, before swishing her tail in a feminine fashion. It was a girl.

She turned to look at Ash with a quizzical look upon her face. Ash smiled, and bent down to her level, to pet the little fox. "Eevee, Bill wants you to come with me. I'm going to be the best pokemon trainer there is, and I wish for you to join me. I'll help you become stronger," Ash said in a calm, but not unkind manner. The little brown fox simply glanced at Ash for a moment, almost as if she was judging him, and then walked forward, and nuzzled him cutely, a grin upon her face.

In that moment, Ash knew that he had formed a lifelong bond with the little fox who grinned at him, who would, slowly but surely, melt his frozen exterior as time went on.

Bill clapped his hands in joy, always happy to see the bonds between trainer and pokemon. He nodded his head at Ash in farewell, and waved at Eevee. Eevee responded by running up to the man and nuzzling him one final time, before bounding back to Ash.

It seemed that Ash had gotten another pokemon to add to his team.

Now all that remained was to conquer the Cerulean Gym, and his journey to Vermillion would begin.

But before he took the winding path back to Cerulean, he ventured towards the nearby Cerulean Cape. Upon arrival, his eyes glimmered with the slightest hint of joy at the sight of a clear, iridescent pool of water that reflected the orange and purple evening sky. Beautiful. A peerless, untouched relic of the past, that had been kept safe from the damage that humans had caused. A natural beauty. Devoid of anything of an artificial nature, a true relic of times long past.

He called out all four of his pokemon, including his new Eevee, and introductions were done under the sleepy evening sky of what had been a long day. He sat on the grass, gazing contently at the clear water, as it rippled to and fro.

His pokemon watched with their trainer in fascination at the sight. They too, were in awe of the setting.

Hours passed. Ash took the time to reflect on his journey thus far. He had been doing a lot of that, recently. And then, he stood, with a sigh, recalled his pokemon, and headed back to Cerulean.

At around 6, he reached the city proper, and he headed for the Gym. The Gym was actually a large blue building with a circular dome on top. It had sliding doors, and the moment Ash neared them, they slid open. He quietly entered the gym, and the moment the doors closed behind him, he observed the place. There was a large swimming pool, presumably a field for water types to train, and on a platform was a bored looking brown haired girl, reading a book on water type pokemon in the Unova Region. She did not notice Ash until he called out to her, and once she realised he was there, she quickly put away her book, and stood.

"Welcome challenger. I'm Misty! I'm the Gym Leader around here, and I train with Water types. Could you please tell me your name, so we can get this over with?" she asked in a bored manner, not expecting him to pose much of a challenge.

What she _didn't_ expect was for him to utter his name softly, "Ash," and then for him to walk to the battlefield wordlessly and release his first pokemon, a Staryu.

Misty let out a joyful squeal upon sight of the starfish pokemon, and mirrored his choice with her own Staryu.

"Wow! You have a Staryu? I don't see many trainers with Staryu these days… Let's see how well you've trained it! Staryu, use Water Gun!" she exclaimed in a loud albeit excited voice.

'Respond with Swift,' Ash commanded telepathically to his own starfish pokemon. Misty observed in shock as Ash's eyes glowed a distinct shade of purple, and his Staryu's gem began flashing. The blast of pressurised water was met by a well executed barrage of yellow stars from her opponent's Staryu.

"You can communicate telepathically already?! I couldn't do it for 2 years, and even then, I can only do it with my Starmie. Staryu's not even Psychic type, how is that possible?" she questioned him, in a loud voice.

Ash simply smirked, acknowledging her question by ordering Staryu to execute a Water Gun attack, which connected and damaged her Staryu.

"Questions after battle, I think," he responded, with a confident gait about him. His battle persona had been implemented. He could not afford any distractions.

Misty smirked, and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm impressed, kid. You got my attention. Let's take this up a notch."

"Staryu, use Rapid Spin and then use Water Gun on his Staryu!" she shouted.

Ash tilted his head to one side, wondering why she would go with such an obvious move. Nevertheless, he responded by saying 'Dodge by using Camouflage and hide in the water,' to his Staryu, who did as commanded.

Misty's eyes widened when she realised his plan. Now, Staryu had an effective hiding place in the water. But then she smiled, because she knew that now his Staryu could not retaliate, seeing as it was underwater.

Seeing her expression, Ash smirked, and gave his first verbal command. "Use Confusion Staryu. Pull her Staryu into the water with your psychic power."

Misty gaped in shock when her Staryu was lifted up in the air and thrown into the water, down to the bottom of the deep, transparent swimming pool that was a part of the battlefield.

"How is this even possible? Your Staryu knows Confusion? It's not a Psychic type! Only Starmie can learn that move!"

Her reaction left her open for a few seconds, during which Ash ordered his own starfish pokemon to Tackle the dazed Staryu, and then use BubbleBeam. Misty watched, helpless as her starfish pokemon floated up to the surface, in a dead faint.

Ash's Staryu seemed barely fazed by the whole battle, leading her to believe that she should never have underestimated this boy.

"Wow! Your Staryu is really well trained! I can only applaud your dedication as a trainer. However, this battle is far from over. Horsea, take the field!"

Ash's eyes widened upon observing the pokemon. He had never seen one before, only read about it in books. It was the famed Horsea, the first evolution of a pokemon that rivaled Gyarados in power, the Water/Dragon type Kingdra. While this one seemed relatively young, Ash knew it could pose a challenge to his equally as inexperienced Staryu.

He stared at the pokemon for a few seconds, before ordering his Staryu to begin with Swift. He could not dwell on such things for too long. He could not afford to doubt his or his pokemon's abilities at such a crucial point.

He had to win.

A/N Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but here's the next chapter of this story. Over the months I've kind of figured out where I want to go with this story, and I think that's been good for the overall development of the plot. I now have the whole story planned out, and all that remains is to actually write the chapters. Thank you for your continued support over my hiatus?(I think it's called a hiatus lol) If I don't update again, please feel free to send me a PM telling me to update. Some people find that annoying, but I actually use these as encouragement to get in gear and start writing again (I'm weird, I know XD) This chapter covers a lot of things, Petrel, Cerulean and Ash getting an EEVEE :D I plan on making this one evolve into a Sylveon, as this Eevee, over the course of the story will change Ash's personality a lot, and make him open up more to people around him. Also, I'll try to update relatively soon, but I'd really love for a beta, seeing as the one I had is MIA. PM if interested, thanks.

Lastly, I'd just like to point my attention to two things.

First, the challenges on my profile. Go check them out if you haven't already. If you're interested in Harry Potter or Akame ga Kiru, these are ideas I thought of one day. I'm probably going to write about them at some point, but I'd be really interested to see what you guys think, and if you want to use the challenge to write, please PM me as well, I'd be super excited.

Second, I want to credit my good friend Curious Chameleon (That's totally his real name ) for co-writing this with me. Thanks buddy. Don't worry, I won't give the people your fanfiction account XD

Keep reviewing guys, and expect the next chapter soon.

\- Dhram


	6. Chapter 6: Of Origins and Interludes

**A/N: Boo. Miss me?**

He stared at the pokemon for a few seconds, before ordering his Staryu to begin with Swift. He could not dwell on such things for too long. He could not afford to doubt his or his pokemon's abilities at such a crucial point.

He had to win.

Staryu, having quickly responded to this new unknown variable, had floated up to the surface of the water, so that it was level with Misty's Horsea. The blue seahorse pokemon looked innocent and hardly capable of even a Growl attack, but Ash knew otherwise. Misty would not have chosen Horsea without having given considerable thought as to its role in defeating Ash's unique Staryu.

"Horsea! Destroy those stars with your BubbleBeam! Then dive under and use Agility!" she shouted.

Ash's eyes widened as Staryu's attack dissipated as a result of the large torrent of water that Horsea had released. And then he realised the extent of Misty's plan, as Horsea dove down. The seahorse pokemon had begun to glow a luminescent yellow. And then it vanished, without a trace, leaving barely an afterimage in its wake. The move Agility had rendered it invisible in the water.

"Staryu, be alert. They could attack from any direction. Extend your senses," he whispered, knowing that his pokemon had heard him.

The starfish pokemon made a series of odd sounds in acquiescence, before stilling for a moment and extending whatever limited psychic potential it had.

But it was too late. The seahorse pokemon slammed into Staryu from each and every angle, and Ash could do nothing but grit his teeth and watch as his companion was gravely injured from the force of each of the Agility boosted rapid fire Tackles.

"Horsea, now, use the move we've learnt! Dragonbreath!"

And within the span of a mere few seconds, the blue pokemon emerged behind Staryu and fired an azure blue wave of deadly draconic energy at Staryu. The ray of focused power was launched from Horsea's mouth and sent hurtling towards Staryu, who was still dazed from the previous damage it had sustained. At point blank range, even Ash knew his starfish pokemon was finished.

'Staryu, let's take them down with us. Confusion, now! One last push,' he urgently told his starfish pokemon, who was panting slowly, having taken the dragon type attack head on. Staryu's red core glowed, lifted Horsea out of the water and slammed Misty's seahorse pokemon into the gym wall.

Before it floated up to the surface, in a dead faint. Ash smiled and recalled his injured pokemon. Staryu had done well.

"You did well, Staryu. I'm happy with your progress. Your power secured our victory," he told the pokemon, knowing full well that Staryu had heard from inside the confines of its pokeball.

Horsea imitated Staryu's actions and slumped against the hard gym wall, evidently unconscious.

Misty gaped, in shock. Two of her pokemon had been defeated by this rookie's Staryu. While the pokemon she used were nowhere close in terms of power to her full team, she did not expect to be so easily beaten. Her gym had a reputation for being amongst the hardest to conquer for rookie trainers.

"Hey, kid. I didn't realise that you were this gifted. To have beaten two of my pokemon with one of yours, and for it to be a water type, a Staryu at that! You've got potential, that I can say for sure," she told him from her platform on the other side of the gym.

She pressed a button on a panel and a bridge formed across the pool. She walked across it, striding towards him with a sense of purpose.

"Here it is. Your prize, the Cascade Badge," she told him in an authoritative tone before reaching into her pocket and handing him the blue, teardrop shaped symbol. Without a word, he took it from her, and put it into his badge case, joining the Boulder Badge. He nodded at her in thanks for an interesting battle and then turned around, ready to leave.

And then turned at the last second, as he had remembered something important.

"Misty? I was wondering if you could give me some advice regarding how I should train my Staryu. I know you are famous for having a Starmie as your strongest and first pokemon. I was wondering whether you could help me somehow," he asked her, uncertain of what her response would be.

Her response was a lopsided grin, that was reminiscent of Purloin that had caught the Pidove. "I'm glad you asked. In fact, not many people realise this, but the Staryu line are very precious, as they are some of the rarest pokemon in existence right now. Their core gems were hunted for the Stardust around a decade or so ago. You're lucky enough to have the opportunity of training a pokemon that is on the same level if not more rare than even a fossil pokemon."

She surveyed his reaction to her little history lesson. She was not surprised to find a knowing expression on his face. During her time as a gym leader, she had learnt to read faces well. This rookie seemed like someone who had the drive to go far. Just how far, she had no idea, but she was sure that if he had the right outlook to training possibly even Elite 4 level.

And she would help, however she could, along the way. "Here's what. I don't really offer these to my challengers, seeing as most of them rush out immediately after getting their badges, but in the interest of seeing a precious water-type like your Staryu grow to its full potential, I'll gift you this; a personal recording I've created specifically for training the Staryu species. Most people don't realise this, but Prof. Oak consulted me to create his entry for Staryu and Starmie in his pokedex. It's not like many people apart from me and Lorelei herself actually have one, anyways."

Ash's eyes shone with a new respect for her. This experienced gym leader, no more than sixteen herself, well in her prime, with a powerful team of water-types under her belt, was offering him a comprehensive guide of all things.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to utilise it as much as I can. It won't be as good as staying here and training with you in person, but I don't think I can tarry in Cerulean any longer, unfortunately," was his half-hearted response.

Misty laughed.

"Oh, how I miss my days as a rookie. Runt, let me tell you this; you don't need to be in such a rush. You still have, what, six or seven months before the Pokemon League? Use it wisely. I'd suggest coming back here when you have 8 badges and challenging me. My full team can stretch their legs a bit, I suppose," she smirked, half admonishing him for his hurriedness.

With an amused sigh, she walked at a sedate pace to an area behind the gym and returned shortly with a small pen drive.

"Here, this should work. Upload it onto your pokedex. It's a lot better than what that device already has, with some personal input from me. Feel free to call me if you have any questions, my gym's phone number is on the national directory after all," she told him, before turning on her heel and waving at him one last time in acknowledgement.

Ash watched, intrigued. Apparently she wasn't one for sticking around.

'Efficient, I suppose,' he presumed, before nodding to himself and walking out of the gym. His journey had to continue, after all.

He quickly took the short, meandering path back to the Pokemon Centre, before stopping at the counter to hand his pokemon over to Nurse Joy. She took them after greeting him politely, and he responded in kind, greeting her sincerely albeit slightly tiredly, as the day had truly been draining for him.

After leaving his pokemon to heal for the night in the capable hands of Nurse Joy, he decided to head up to his room, to review the recordings Misty had given to him. He opened the door after getting out of the lift, and was greeted with the spartan appearance of the room in question. A single bed, and a desk with a mirror attached. A standard room, really, but it had its own elegance to it, he mused.

He inserted the USB into the port in his Pokedex, and was greeted with the sight of Misty's face appearing in the form of a hologram. She began to give a succinct discourse on the anatomy of the Staryu line.

"While the Staryu line has been notoriously rare to find in this day and age, since my first pokemon was a Staryu, I'm creating this guide to hopefully help others in the same predicament I was in; no information on these elusive creatures."

He increased the volume, unable to catch exactly what the gym leader was saying, and Ash knew that every word would be of great importance in properly raising his own starfish pokemon.

"Staryu, like any other pokemon, deserve to be treated with the same love and care a trainer would for another species, but what rookies sometimes don't understand is communication on a baser level with these pokemon. A Staryu is genderless, after all, and tends to express emotions in a way we as humans, cannot comprehend. It's the same with Starmie. They don't _think_ or _feel_ the same way we do."

Ash snickered at this, agreeing with the Gym Leader's assessment of the water-type pokemon's nature.

"However, I've found that they still have the same drive, the same burning passion that any battling pokemon does; to fight, to protect their own, and above all, to forge bonds with others, whether it's people or pokemon. I trust my Starmie to have my back, and even though at times I can't necessarily understand or comprehend its emotions as much as I'd like, we're still the best of friends. Hopefully this guide will help you create the same bonds we do, both mentally and physically."

Ash yawned, the fatigue of such an action packed day finally manifesting itself. He stretched, before returning his attention to the recording.

"The first part of this recording is solely dedicated to the first stage of the evolutionary line, Staryu. Now, from my personal experience, I can tell you that these pokemon don't trust very easily, and take a bit longer than most other species to fully accept a trainer. It's the same with other genderless species like Beldum. Since they don't understand us, appealing to them with kindness isn't the best way to gain this trust. Over the course of many battles, as you prove your worth to them, they will begin to respect you."

"Respect, that is the key to earning their trust. There is just no other way. Only after many, many battles did Staryu finally warm up to me. Obedience and acceptance are two different things after all."

This gave Ash pause. While Staryu had listened to him in battle, there was always this slight boredom, a slight hesitance on the part of the starfish pokemon when listening to the boy's orders in battle. Misty was right, he supposed. There was a rather large dichotomy between obedience and acceptance.

It seemed he would still have a ways to go before earning the starfish pokemon's true trust. However, the latent psychic abilities Staryu possessed made the task relatively easier, seeing as it was able to feel Ash's emotions, and could probably interpret them a lot better than if the pokemon had to rely on his actions and facial expressions alone.

'I've never had that problem with other pokemon before,' he wondered, before dismissing it as a rather distinctive trait of genderless pokemon. He would have to research exactly why this particular group of pokemon had this wariness. His personal hypothesis was that these pokemon suffered a lack of EQ due to the fact that they were conceived in a different manner than regular pokemon.

Their existence was unique; as male and female pokemon didn't necessarily have to mate to conceive a genderless pokemon species. This was a great mystery of the pokemon world, and Professor Oak had just begun his foray into this phenomenon. The reality was, these pokemon seemed to simply just come into being.

With Staryu, it was a result of residual energy building up in a certain form of crystal on the bottom of the sea floor. This was then combined with the geological matter on the sea floor to created a shell for the core. The starfish pokemon was a natural wonder; having been created from the very essence of the sea floor.

This amazing feat of nature had been witnessed only once, coincidentally by Professor Oak, as the man in his younger years had been a passionate explorer, who had gone on several diving expeditions to observe and research marine pokemon life.

The crystal that created the starfish pokemon was their very _essence_ , the culmination of their being. This could have explained the reasoning behind a Staryu's apparent wariness; since there were no parents, no X and Y chromosomes involved in the process of creating offspring, these species simply did not have the ability to connect with others as a base instinct.

The recording had been paused as Ash considered this, but he pressed the button to continue the holograph, deciding to ponder this some other time. However, after considering his tired state, he decided otherwise, and turned his Pokedex off, deciding to continue this after he had departed from Cerulean.

He lay down, pulled the covers over himself, and slept, dreaming of crystals and natural wonders yet to be discovered.

 _linebreak_

He was woken with a jolt the next morning by the insistent yipping of a brown fox with soft fur and caring eyes. He blinked, once, then twice, before grinning. It seemed as if his new team member had missed him in the night.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked the grinning young fox, as she did circles around his feet in apparent giddiness. This happiness was infectious; Ash soon joined in the fun and chased her around the room. Only to realise 15 minutes later that he was being absolutely childish. He sighed, picked up Eevee and left the room, the little fox snuggled in his arms.

As he exited the lift, he greeted Nurse Joy and politely requested for his pokemon back. He released them all after exiting the Centre, with his team greeting their trainer enthusiastically, ready for another day's work.

Ash smiled as he saw the four of them together. Eevee jumped out of his arms, chittering excitedly as she greeted her new family. Honedge, Staryu, Anorith and Eevee. His own team of pokemon, each unique and special in their own way.

Honedge hummed his greetings, his red ribbon fluttering in the wind. Ash wondered suddenly why his starter seemingly identified as male. Weren't Honedge simply the souls of warriors in the shell of a blade? He would have to ask the ghost about it. Staryu did its characteristic spin, before floating about a metre above the ground. Anorith and Eevee, the two more talkative, young members of his team, struck up a conversation, and Ash was only too happy to let them have a few moments.

"Alright, everyone. Although my original intentions were to head out to Vermillion today, I think we can take a day off. We have yet to actually have some time off, and I think a bonding trip would be exactly what we need," Ash told his pokemon.

They all animatedly jumped and frolicked around at his words; the more spirited of his pokemon at least, that being Eevee and Anorith. Honedge just hummed in acknowledgment, and his starfish pokemon followed suit with a flash of its crystal, indicating it had understood.

"But that _does_ beg the question, what do we do today?" Ash pondered.

After consulting the local map and finding nothing of relevance, he made a decision.

"Today, we explore the uncharted territories."

 _linebreak._

Ash made his way towards the small dock at the edge of Cerulean Cape, arriving there an hour or so after he had made his decision. He approached the makeshift house that had been built there, and observed the ramshackle abode.

It looked worn, as if falling into disrepair, but he knew better, having come here on the good authority of the older Cerulean locals, who all appreciate the 'young lad's sense of adventure'. Tentatively, he reached for the brown, oaken door, and called out.

"Mr Briney? Are you there?"

For a couple of moments, nothing happened, before the sound of rummaging around, and boxes being moved could be heard. Seconds later, the door opened, and Ash was faced with the sight of a bald man with remnants of greying hair and a very prominent silver moustache.

This was the reputed sailor of the 7 regions, rumoured to have sailed all around the world several times. Formerly the Admiral of the H.M.S Elune, docked in Rota, he once served as part of the nation's navy, directly under the authority of Queen Ilene, in his previous years. He had only retired 3 years ago, and was available for hire to anyone who was interested in exploring where others would not go.

"Aye lad! What did you need so much you had to disturb a poor old man's rest?" Briney shouted, startling the normally quiet, reserved personality that Ash possessed.

Ash replied in more dulcet tones.

"I'm quite frankly looking to take a day off from training with my team to explore the uncharted waters beyond Cerulean, and possible find some interesting pokemon worth my time," he responded, watching as the old man's demeanour quickly softened into something akin to a smile.

"In that case, laddie, you've come to the right man! Let's set sail! We can at least go a couple of hours out, since you're saying you only have a day. And stop with all this 'uncharted' territories nonsense. I know these waters like the back of my hand!"

Ash quickly nodded, not wanting to offend the man as Briney had clearly perceived his words as some sort of slight to his navigational abilities.

"In fact, there are a lot of bird pokemon that fly south around this time. Perhaps even some from other regions. A young lad like yourself might perchance be interested in catching one of them, if you catch my drift."

Ash eagerly agreed with the man, and reached for his pokedex, about to ask how much the seafaring man would charge for his request.

Almost knowingly, Briney chuckled.

"There'll be no need for that, laddie. No payment, I insist. I'm a retired man now, and you youngsters provide me with enough energy anyways. Now give me a moment, I'm going to get wee old Laurel prepared," he told the bemused trainer, before turning on his heels and heading towards the pier.

The pier was a little ways beyond Cerulean Cape. Ash had been there earlier, but this was further out, past Bill's house and the last little outpost of humanity before the wilds began. Uncharted waters, filled with mystery, adventure, and possible death.

For Ash knew the pokemon there would be vicious, as uncharted waters were where only the strong survived. Instinct was key, and only the smartest, most cutthroat pokemon would survive the vast, unforgiving depths of the deep azure sea.

That aside, he wondered.

"Laurel? Who exactly is Laurel?"

Upon hearing this remark while headed to the outside of the pier, Briney laughed

"Youngsters these days…. honestly. Laurel, the wee lass is 'ma ship. Had her custom built when I retired here in these waters," Briney mumbled, loud enough for Ash to hear.

Ash nodded in realisation. The whole concept of naming your ship had so far escaped him. In his opinion, names were only necessary for sentient beings, not for objects. But then again, it wasn't his place to judge what the old man did in his spare time.

After about 15 minutes of heavy lifting and moving on the part of the well built, experience seaman, it wasn't long before the ferry _Laurel_ was ready to go.

"We can leave now, laddie. We'll be back a little past your bedtime, so feel free to catch some shuteye on the way back," the old man offered, jokingly.

Ash just glared at him. Despite his intellectual maturity, he _was_ still a child, and was rather sensitive about his bedtime. Extremely sensitive, so much so that he felt the need to preserve some of his dignity.

Almost petulantly, he responded, "I don't _have_ a bedtime," with a baleful glare directed at the now chuckling sailor.

"Sure you don't, laddie," the sailor replied, trying very hard to keep his laughter in as Ash's face was blemished with a little red, probably out of embarassment. They both boarded the ferry, and Ash found that it was quite luxurious, with two cabins, one for the captain and one for the passengers.

"Feel free to stay on deck and feel the salty sea air lad, we're setting sail!" Briney exclaimed, before heading to the captain's quarters and starting the ship's engines.

The ship departed promptly, and Ash revelled in the feeling of the wind brushing past his face, as he stood on deck, watching the pier fade in the distance. After a few moments of contemplation, he let his team out, wanting them to share in his experience.

Eevee ran to and fro on deck excitedly, Anorith giving chase, as the two played tag across the well built, wooden deck. Hopefully Anorith's pincers wouldn't scratch the boarding too much. Honedge floated to be shoulder level with his trainer, ribbon flapping in the wind, observing his surroundings. Staryu, despite its usual differences, plunged into the depths, swimming to and fro in the water that was apparently rather cold, as the starfish pokemon attested to over the link between trainer and pokemon.

 _'Ash, I do have to ask what we are doing here. This is neither necessary nor prudent, with no training or experience gained here,'_ Honedge asked his trainer, not chastising but in fact somewhat curious as to the purpose of this little excursion.

Ash laughed, amused at the serious nature of his first pokemon.

'Honedge, contrary to what you may believe, not everything is about training. Sometimes leisure is also necessary. We all deserve a break after all we've been through thus far,' he told the blade pokemon.

Ash watched, as his starter slowly began to accept this new, foreign concept of relaxation, having never experienced it before, as Ash had been so driven about training throughout their time together. He communicated this confusion through their bond, and Ash winced.

It was true.

In fact, only a reminder from the Gym Leader to slow down slightly, and a little bit of reflection had led him to the conclusion that he was pushing his pokemon too hard. He wanted to understand them, to befriend them. That was the purpose of this trip; to get some well deserved rest while also travelling the uncharted zones and seeing just _what_ was beyond the map's borders.

About two hours into their journey, Ash spotted a rock formation in the distance. The weather was slowly becoming overcast, and the murkiness obscured his vision from what lay beyond. Fortunately, Briney came out of the captain's quarters, after halting the ferry.

"That rocky construct there is the outside of Rock Tunnel. If we go a little further there's a small inlet that I can't take the boat through, but you can use to explore the area. The Power Plant is around there," Briney told him.

Ash grinned. The Power Plant was home to many electric types, as it served as a conduit for all energy in Kanto. It drew the pokemon in, as the nerves in all electric pokemon were primed to detect all forms of energy, be it heat, light, or in this case what came most naturally them, electricity. The ambient current that each electric could draw upon was ultimately from their body absorbing the energy around them.

It was a little known fact, but the reason electric pokemon could channel their energy was because they absorbed and stored the ambient energy around them in their bodies. In fact, in areas with high metal concentration, such as urban areas, and flatlands with high metal content in the soil, their efficiency was increased.

They were able to _feel_ the energy around them and draw it into themselves. This energy wasn't tangible, no, it was a concept to describe the amount of power they drew in. Ash was truly amazed when he had first read about this feat of nature, and had desperately wanted, at some point in time to catch his very own electric type.

"Forget the bird pokemon then, please take me as far as you can go. I'll hold onto Staryu's appendages to get into the inlet you mentioned. An electric type is too valuable in Kanto," he told the old sailor.

"Alright then laddie! Let's speed up! The Power Plant it is!" Briney exclaimed, before heading back to his quarters and continuing to steer the ferry onwards, into the now murky mist that was forming around the ocean. Noon had passed by this point, and Ash munched on some snacks he brought for himself, and gave the normal quota of pokemon food to his team.

Staryu had been recalled to the deck, as Ash feared what laid within these deeper depths might consider the starfish pokemon a delicacy. Talented though Staryu was, there was no way it could stand up to the might of a Kingdra or a Gyerados, both apex predators in any ocean near Kanto. Neither could all of his team put together. The amount of raw power within fully evolved pokemon would be far too much to handle for his inexperienced team.

They arrived in good time, with the ferry stopping near shallower waters that lead to an inlet or slip off to the sea. Ash allowed Staryu back in the water, and then jumped in eagerly, after taking off his shirt, putting it inside his(thankfully waterproof bag), along with the rest of his team, who were recalled back into their pokeballs.

The water was cool, and Ash thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as Staryu glided through the small waves. He listened to the ebb and flow of the tide, as it struck the distant shore, the sun casting a small glimmer upon the water, the light hitting the water and refracting this way and that. It was like a symphony; the lull of the sea beckoned to him. He could hear the cries of the Wingull far above.

The sun had come back after a spot of bad weather, illuminating the water, and Ash's demeanour morphed from expressionless to truly at peace. This break had been good for him. He cast his memory back to the days before his journey, when he had swam in the waters near Pallet's beach, and battled against the pokemon there with his Honedge.

He missed those days.

Days when he could just enjoy the simple pleasures of life, without worry, nary a care in the world. He was no fool. He knew his escape at Mt. Moon had not gone unnoticed. Team Rocket would retaliate, in some shape or form. They would not let him leave with something as invaluable as the Moon Shard without some variation of pursuit. Only now could he truly realise the extent of his own actions.

He had stored those experiences in the corner of his mind, refusing to think about it, with adrenaline pushing him onwards.

But on a nice, clear day such as that one, Ash knew it was time to contemplate, and move on. His pokemon sensed his discomfort, and provided some level of advice through their link. The starfish pokemon was perceptive, though young, and could, to some degree, understand what Ash was going through.

'What is the matter? You seem distressed, trainer?' the starfish pokemon questioned. While it could pick up the emotions and feelings of its trainer through its empathetic abilities, it could not process them.

'Do not be afraid. You did what was necessary. The Moon Shard could not fall into the hands of those thieves,' the starfish pokemon told his trainer, as they continued onwards.

Ash appreciated the efforts, knowing that the starfish pokemon could not perceive emotion the same way gendered pokemon could. At least it was offering what comfort it could. That itself was enough for Ash. To know that his team was there for him, even if they did not necessarily know how to be.

After some time, the shoreline approached, and Ash could see the engineering prowess of Silph Co. displayed once more. A giant power plant was just past the beach, with the distinctive hum of a generator seemingly present all around the area. The gargantuan building that housed the actual generator was made of glass, with solar panels being used on the rooftop to generate alternative power as well.

Power in Kanto came from two sources; electric pokemon and solar energy. There was a team of around a hundred Pikachu working at once inside the building to provide power for the whole of Kanto. In fact, since the ground beneath them was so rich in ore and metal, the Pikachu charged as much as they let out, and under the supervision of the Kanto Electrical Board, they powered the generators full time.

The Pikachu worked in shifts, with a month active and a month rest being their work schedule. Since they were technically caught by the Pokemon League, they were under the command of their so appointed trainers to do this task.

It was rather inhumane, in Ash's opinion, but until solar power became more known to the denizens of the Kanto region, there would never be a consideration to switch power sources. However, it wasn't his job to question the decisions of the League, flawed though they may have been in this case.

He reached the area housing the generator, and started scouring the place for the electric types he was so interested in looking for. For about an hour, he had had no success, before the first electric pokemon came into sight.

It was bipedal, a small green pokemon with yellow streaks across it. Ash immediately recognised it as a Hoenn region native, known as Electrike. His eyes widened upon this realisation, never having guessed that such an interesting pokemon would be in this area.

Upon sight of Ash, the pokemon growled and bared its rather small fangs, and Ash laughed at the cute gesture. While the electric type probably thought it looked menacing, it was in fact rather comical for such a small creature to try and act so intimidating.

"Alright Electrike. It's nice to meet you. I was looking for an electric type in the area, and you're the first I've happened upon. I would appreciate it if you would accompany my team and I on our journey to become stronger," Ash calmly spoke to the small pokemon.

Electrike perked up at the mention of getting stronger, before assuming a battle stance, electricity sparking around it's very being. Ash scanned it with his Pokedex to discover that it was in fact male.

"Anorith, secure our victory," Ash said in an even tone of voice, not wanting to startle the electric type too much.

The dual bug/rock type launched out of the poke ball with a chirp, and clenched his pincers once or twice before also assuming a ready stance. Anorith had seen the events unfolding from within the pokeball, and was well aware of the situation.

"Make the first move from long range Anorith, use Water Gun!" Ash exclaimed, excited by the prospect of the battle that awaited him.

A potential new member of his team, to make it even more diverse than it was.

Ash couldn't _wait_.

 **A/N 2: Hi everybody! It's been a while, huh? I'm back now. Please enjoy Chapter 6 of Divergence of Fate. Ash finishes his Gym Battle, and takes a short break from training, which I think is a good deviation from the norm. I hope this chapter helps bring to life some of the team, and expect more in future chapters. I'm a huge fan of worldbuilding, and I hope this chapter expresses that, with the biology of Staryu and the detail on the Power Plant. I want the experience to be as realistic as possible (in a world of pokemon xD)**

 **Sorry for being gone so long. On another note, I _r_ _eally need a_ _committed beta_ _for this story_. It would be much appreciated from my side. Please PM me if you would like to help out. **

**How have you guys been? Exams have been consuming my existence, but summer's here at last. Which means more chapters, and more writing :)**

 **I'm also in the process of creating a Harry Potter/Fate crossover, with the premise of Harry accidentally summoning Medea into the HP verse. Medea will serve as Harry's mentor and 'big sister' as it were, as she views Harry as the chance to redeem herself. More on that soon, if you're interested.**

 **As always, hope you enjoy, drop me a PM, fav, follow or review if you want to show your support. Thanks!**

 **\- dhram**


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